$*^~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~^*$
*^~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~^*
^~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~^
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ^ 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, .¨.-~*$&@#
@¶&$†==,¨. .¨,==†$&¶@
##@@£§^~,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,~^§£@@##
#@@£%†~:,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,:~†%£@@#
#¤$§^»-.¨. .¨.-»^§$¤#
£§%/»,...¨ ¨...,»/%§£
§$*-~.,,,¨ ¨,,,.~-*$§
=*~~.¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨.~~*=
/~:¨,¨..., ,...¨,¨:~/