^«~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~«^
$^«~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~«^$
$$^«~,,,,, ,,,,,~«^$$
&$$^«~,,,, ,,,,~«^$$&
@&$$^«~,,, ,,,~«^$$&@
#@&$$^«~,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,~«^$$&@#
##@&$$^«~, ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ ,~«^$$&@##
#@&$$^«~,, ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ ,,~«^$$&@#
@&$$^«~,,, ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ ,,,~«^$$&@
&$$^«~,,,, ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ ,,,,~«^$$&
$$^«~,,,,, ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ ,,,,,~«^$$
$^«~,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,~«^$
^«~,,,,,,, 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. ¨.¨,,¨.¨¨,
¨,,,.,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,.,,,¨
...,.,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,.,...
¨.,.¨¨.,,. .,,.¨¨.,.¨
,,,,¨,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,¨,,,,
.¨¨¨¨¨¨.,. .,.¨¨¨¨¨¨.