,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * 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. .¨,.¨¨,~~;
~-¨,¨¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨¨,¨-~
-¨.¨¨,¨¨.. ..¨¨,¨¨.¨-
...,...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...,...
,¨.¨¨.¨,¨. .¨,¨.¨¨.¨,
,,..,,,.,¨ ¨,.,,,..,,