###@§§*^», ,»^*§§@###
##@§§*^»,, ,,»^*§§@##
#@§§*^»,,, ,,,»^*§§@#
@§§*^»,,,, ,,,,»^*§§@
§§*^»,,,,, ,,,,,»^*§§
§*^»,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,»^*§
*^»,,,,,,, ^ 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. ....,¨.,¨¨
=¨,,¨,..,, ,,..,¨,,¨=
;~¨,,..¨,, ,,¨..,,¨~;
§/~,,¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨,,~/§
$^^»¨.,.¨. .¨.,.¨»^^$
§£*:=..,¨. .¨,..=:*£§