,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~: :~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:§ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # §:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~:§¤ : 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. ##@$=/-.,.
¨.~;§£&### ###&£§;~.¨
,«^^$@#### ####@$^^«,
,.»=$§&### ###&§$=».,
..¨~:*£¤## ##¤£*:~¨..
....«††%## ##%††«....