,#,##,,,#, #,#,#,,,,#
,,,###,,,, ,,,,,#,,,,
,,,#,##,,, ,,,,,,#,,,
,,,,,###,, ,,,,,,,#,,
,,,,,#,##, ,,,,,,,,#,
,,,,,,,### # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,#
#,,,,,,#,# ; 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. &.,¨¨,,¨,.
,,§,,¨¨.,@ ,#...,.¨,¨
...§..,¨., .,&¨¨.,.¨,
.,.¨@.,,¨¨ ¨,.&,.¨..,
.,,,¨£,.¨, ,.,,§,¨¨¨¨
,.,,¨,§.,. ,,¨,¨§.,¨¨