~~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~~
/~~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~~/
%/~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~/%
£%/~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~/%£
@£%/~~,,,, ,,,,~~/%£@
#@£%/~~,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,~~/%£@#
##@£%/~~,, / 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. ¨¨¨¨..,,,.
¨¨,,¨¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨¨,,¨¨
,¨.,¨.¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.¨,.¨,
-~¨,¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨,¨~-
;~^¨¨..,.¨ ¨.,..¨¨^~;
†;«:,¨,¨,. .,¨,¨,:«;†