,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« # «««««««««««««««««««« # «.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«\ \ 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. %†=....,¨.
¨.,,.,,-«* *«-,,.,,.¨
,¨,...,¨-= =-¨,...,¨,
.¨,,¨¨,,¨. .¨,,¨¨,,¨.
¨¨¨¨.¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨.¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨..¨.¨, ,¨.¨..¨¨¨.