,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
\~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~\
§\~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~\§
%§\~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~\§%
&%§\~,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,~\§%&
@&%§\~,,,, \ 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. .,¨.,..~†*
**†-,¨¨,.. ..,¨¨,-†**
£§*:~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~:*§£
##%§^~:.,, ,,.:~^§%##
#@§&**«.¨. .¨.«**&§@#
##¶@&†;~:, ,:~;†&@¶##