§&$;=~,,,, ,,,,~=;$&§
&$;=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=;$&
$;=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=;$
;=~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~=;
=~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~=
~,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ; 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$KNOWLEDGE;» ,.,,¨¨.,~~
~¨¨.¨,,,¨. -=BEING « STOLEN ~« FROM -~~ THEM. . .¨,,,¨.¨¨~
,¨,¨.,.¨,, »- . =~~ , =, ,» « ,,¨.,.¨,¨,
:¨..¨¨¨¨¨, , ,: . . ,¨¨¨¨¨..¨:
~:.,.¨¨.,. ¨ . , ^ .,.¨¨.,.:~
/«..,,¨¨.. ..¨¨,,..«/
=*=,,..¨,, ,#¨ ,,¨..,,=*=
§^*»...,.¨ ¨.,...»*^§
#¤%=-...,, AND, ,,...-=%¤#
#¤@%^~~.¨, ,¨.~~^%@¤#
@¶#¤=;~-,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,-~;=¤#¶@
##£#§=^-:, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,:-^=§#£##
#@&@^==,,, ,,,==^@&@#
¶#£$=~^,¨, ,¨,^~=$£#¶
&£==»^..,¨ ¨,..^»==£&
**:~^.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.^~:**
%:-,.,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,.,-:%