,,,,.-*%@@ @@%*-.,,,,
,,,,,.-*%@ @%*-.,,,,,
,,,,,,.-*% %*-.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.-* *-.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.- -.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. # -------------------- # .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * 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. ^-~,,¨.,¨¨
,,.,¨¨^»\$ $\»^¨¨,.,,
¨.,..^«:*§ §*:«^..,.¨
,¨.¨-=\%££ ££%\=-¨.¨,
.¨,-~**¤@# #@¤**~-,¨.
¨.,~;*£@## ##@£*;~,.¨