/=,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,=/
=,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,=
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / 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. ,,.¨,¨¨.,¨
.¨¨¨¨,.,¨. .¨,.,¨¨¨¨.
,,¨,¨.,.,, ,,.,.¨,¨,,
..¨.¨¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨¨.¨..
.,,,...,¨, ,¨,...,,,.
.¨.,,,¨.¨. .¨.¨,,,.¨.