¤£%/-,,,,, ,,,,,-/%£¤
£%/-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-/%£
%/-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-/%
/-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-/
-,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,-
,,,,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / 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. ,,«=*£&¶##
@@@*$^=.., ,..=^$*@@@
@&§*;~,¨,¨ ¨,¨,~;*§&@
¤&§/«,...¨ ¨...,«/§&¤
£^/=.,.,,, ,,,.,.=/^£
§:-¨,..¨.. ..¨..,¨-:§