,,,,,»=$¤& &¤$=»,,,,,
,,,,,,»=$¤ ¤$=»,,,,,,
,,,,,,,»=$ $=»,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,»= =»,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,» »,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = BRANCHED WAY BACK = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = WAS ALMOST BARREN, = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = AT ALL... = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,» # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # »,,,,,,,,,
...¨,,.:-^ ^-:.,,¨...
¨..,.¨,~;$ 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. ##@§$^/~:¨
.¨,=;%$¤@# #@¤$%;=,¨.
,¨¨:-*$£@# #@£$*-:¨¨,
.¨¨.,«†$&# #&$†«,.¨¨.
¨.¨,.,=\§% %§\=,.,¨.¨
¨.¨.,¨^~:= =:~^¨,.¨.¨