,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~\ \~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~\$ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # $\~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~\$$ \ 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. ~..¨.¨,,,,
,..¨¨,¨~«/ /«~¨,¨¨..,
..,,¨,:~\* *\~:,¨,,..
¨¨¨¨¨,~*=* *=*~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨..¨:~†%&§ §&%†~:¨..¨
.¨,.~;§$&¶ ¶&$§;~.,¨.