,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~^ ^~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~^* *^~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~^*@ @*^~~,,,,,
,,,,~~^*@@ @@*^~~,,,,
,,,~~^*@@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@@*^~~,,,
,,~~^*@@#@ ^ 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. @@%^»^¨¨,,
.¨..-;$%@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@%$;-..¨.
¨,^-\^$@¶# #¶@$^\-^,¨
¨,-;%%#@@# #@@#%%;-,¨
,.:»/§@£¶# #¶£@§/»:.,
¨.,~~:**@@ @@**:~~,.¨
.,,..«=*££ ££*=«..,,.