£@$%=»~,,, ,,,~»=%$@£
@£@$%=»~,, ,,~»=%$@£@
#@£@$%=»~, ,~»=%$@£@#
@£@$%=»~,, ,,~»=%$@£@
£@$%=»~,,, ,,,~»=%$@£
@$%=»~,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,~»=%$@
$%=»~,,,,, = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = ,,,,,~»=%$
%=»~,,,,,, = 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. ¨¨,,..¨¨.=
:¨..,.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.,..¨:
.¨.¨¨¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨¨¨.¨.
..,.¨,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,¨.,..
..,¨¨¨..,, ,,..¨¨¨,..
^¨,...,,.. ..,,...,¨^