,,,,,,^-=$ $=-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-= =-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^- -^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^- = BRANCHED WAY BACK = -^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-= = WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR = =-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^-=$ = 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. ;».¨..,..¨
.,.¨,¨-=†* *†=-¨,¨.,.
¨¨.,¨^~\£# #£\~^¨,.¨¨
¨,,¨-=†£&# #&£†=-¨,,¨
,¨.-~=%&@# #@&%=~-.¨,
,,,-\*§@## ##@§*\-,,,