#§^\=,,,,, ,,,,,=\^§#
§^\=,,,,,, ,,,,,,=\^§
^\=,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,=\^
\=,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,=\
=,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,=
,,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ AT ALL... \ ,,,,,,,,,,
=,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,=
†=,,,..,¨, ,¨,..,,,=†
%*-~¨¨¨,,. MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE .,,¨¨¨~-*%
$$;»,¨.¨,, LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, ,,¨.¨,»;$$
#@%;»^,..¨ FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ¨..,^»;%@#
££@†;=,.¨, ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. ,¨.,=;†@££
###$%\-:.¨ IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, ¨.:-\%$###
##@§£$†«-, AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. ,-«†$£§@##
##@%%^«.¨, ,¨.«^%%@##
@&*†/»,¨¨¨ ,#. ¨¨¨,»/†*&@
#@§=-^¨.,. .,.¨^-=§@#
¤=/-:,.... THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE ....,:-/=¤
**«,..,¨¨, IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ,¨¨,..,«**
=»,¨,,,¨,, IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN ,,¨,,,¨,»=
»,.¨,.,¨,, THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ,,¨,.,¨.,»
,..,,¨,¨,, UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ,,¨,¨,,..,
¨,,,,.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.,,,,¨
¨.¨¨,¨.¨.¨ ,#. ¨.¨.¨,¨¨.¨
.,.,.¨.,.. ..,.¨.,.,.
..¨.,....¨ AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE ¨....,.¨..
.,,,.,¨,.¨ EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ¨.,¨,.,,,.
.¨,¨,¨¨¨,. WHICH IS SOMETHING THEY ALL DESIRE .,¨¨¨,¨,¨.
¨¨,¨¨,¨¨¨, GREATLY AT THIS POINT. THEY FAIL TO ,¨¨¨,¨¨,¨¨
:,¨¨,,¨,.. NOTICE THAT THE STARS DO NOT REFLECT ON ..,¨,,¨¨,:
»~¨,...¨¨. ITS SURFACE. ONE OF THEM CROUCHES TO .¨¨...,¨~»
^~,¨,...,, DRINK, FORMS A CUP WITH HIS HANDS, ,,...,¨,~^
†==-¨¨.... LOWERS THE CUP INTO THE POOL. ....¨¨-==†
$^=-...,¨¨ ¨¨,...-=^$
¤$%:=-,¨¨, HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO ,¨¨,-=:%$¤
@&§%*=:.,. CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE .,.:=*%§&@
#@§£*;«,¨, LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, ,¨,«;*£§@#
##£¤&%*«-, - NOT UNDERSTANDING THE=DANGER, MOVE ,-«*%&¤£##
#@#&$\=... CLOSER TO HELP THEIR,FRIEND. ...=\$&#@#
@¤$%:-:.¨¨ ¨ ~ ~ ^ . ¨¨.:-:%$¤@
§@†\«,,,,, AND¨THEN,THE¨POOL,ANNOUNCES,ITSELF ,,,,,«\†@§
$§=~:¨¨.¨. TO¨THEM¨-.SUDDEN.-,THOUGHTS.OF. .¨.¨¨:~=§$
**~:¨,.,¨, .^-DARK~WOLVES~¨CLIMBING-OUT~OF:^.~ ,¨,.,¨:~**
*~-.,,¨.¨, -~~THE~POOL,-SURROUNDING*THEM/-*;: ,¨.¨,,.-~*
~.¨.,,,.¨¨ †SUDDEN†THOUGHTS:OF~=†CLIMBING†§* ¨¨.,,,.¨.~
^....¨,¨,¨ INTO%THE\POOL,$THEIR†THIRST§FLARING† ¨,¨,¨....^
.¨,¨.¨¨¨,¨ *%%BRIGHT§-§@A$SUDDEN¤§AWARENESS# ¨,¨¨¨.¨,¨.
.,¨¨¨¨¨¨,, #$OF@¤EXACTLY@£HOW#THEY#HAD#TRAVELED,%# ,,¨¨¨¨¨¨,.
,¨¨¨¨...,. ##OF&THE#WAY@HOME@@TO¶THE@TIME¶FROM£# .,...¨¨¨¨,
.....,¨..¨ #£WHERE@THEY@CAME,#######AND#THEN#### ¨..¨,.....
¨¨,.,,¨¨.. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE*- ..¨¨,,.,¨¨
¨¨,..¨¨¨¨. »«BEING = STOLEN -» FROM ~=~ THEM. . .¨¨¨¨..,¨¨
¨¨,,¨...,, ~- . ~~- ¨ ~, .« - ,,...¨,,¨¨
^.¨.,¨¨,,¨ - ^, : , ¨,,¨¨,.¨.^
«^,¨¨,.,¨¨ , ¨ ¨ ^ ¨¨,.,¨¨,^«
*=,¨¨,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,¨¨,=*
**~.¨..,¨. .#¨ .¨,..¨.~**
£=/~:¨.... ....¨:~/=£
@¤*;~^.¨.. AND, ..¨.^~;*¤@
¶§$^=».¨.. ..¨.»=^$§¶
@@#£%;=,., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,.,=;%£#@@
#@#§%%*~,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,~*%%§#@#
@#@@%;«.,¨ ¨,.«;%@@#@
£@%%\-^.,. .,.^-\%%@£
@$*†«^,¨,¨ ¨,¨,^«†*$@
%=^~^,.,,, ,,,.,^~^=%
††-^¨.,.,. .,.,.¨^-††