,,,,,,,,,« «,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«* *«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«*^ ^*«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«*^$ $^*«,,,,,,
,,,,,«*^$@ @$^*«,,,,,
,,,,«*^$@@ # «««««««««««««««««««« # @@$^*«,,,,
,,,«*^$@@# * 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. ^,¨¨.¨..¨¨
,.,..,¨¨,. .,¨¨,..,.,
,¨¨,,,.,¨: :¨,.,,,¨¨,
.¨.¨,¨,.,= =,.,¨,¨.¨.
,..¨¨,,^=* *=^,,¨¨..,
¨,.¨.,~=;% %;=~,.¨.,¨