,,,«*§$@## ##@$§*«,,,
,,«*§$@### ###@$§*«,,
,,,«*§$@## ##@$§*«,,,
,,,,«*§$@# #@$§*«,,,,
,,,,,«*§$@ @$§*«,,,,,
,,,,,,«*§$ # «««««««««««««««««««« # $§*«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«*§ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * §*«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«* * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * *«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,« * BRANCHED WAY BACK * «,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * AT ALL... * ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,,,,,
¨..¨...,,¨ ¨,,...¨..¨
.¨¨,.¨,.¨. MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE .¨.,¨.,¨¨.
,¨.¨,..,,. LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, .,,..,¨.¨,
...,¨,,¨-~ FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ~-¨,,¨,...
,,¨¨.¨.~=^ ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. ^=~.¨.¨¨,,
,¨,,¨.^~\= IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, =\~^.¨,,¨,
¨¨.¨,,«:§* AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. *§:«,,¨.¨¨
¨.¨¨~=;=£¶ ¶£=;=~¨¨.¨
,,¨:~=§§£# ,#¨ #£§§=~:¨,,
¨¨~~:*%@@# #@@%*:~~¨¨
¨^«\†$£### 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. *†==,¨,,.,
,,.,.«:=@# #@=:«.,.,,
¨¨,~~/^$@# #@$^/~~,¨¨
,,.-^=$£@# #@£$=^-.,,
¨:»:†@#### ####@†:»:¨
,,,=†%$¶@# #@¶$%†=,,,