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