#¶#*§^=,,, ,,,=^§*#¶#
##¶#*§^=,, ,,=^§*#¶##
#¶#*§^=,,, ,,,=^§*#¶#
¶#*§^=,,,, ,,,,=^§*#¶
#*§^=,,,,, ,,,,,=^§*#
*§^=,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,=^§*
§^=,,,,,,, ^ 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. ¨¨,,¨^~=*¤
*=-^,,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,,^-=*
;~..,¨,,,. .,,,¨,..~;
~-,¨,..,¨¨ ¨¨,..,¨,-~
-.,.,¨¨,,. .,,¨¨,.,.-
-.¨,¨¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨¨,¨.-