,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~: :~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:§ §:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~:§$ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # $§:~,,,,,,
,,,,,~:§$& : 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. §§=«~.,,,¨
,,.,-=\§%¤ ¤%§\=-,.,,
¨,,,=:$$£@ @£$$:=,,,¨
..^~^§£#@@ @@#£§^~^..
,,-\%£¤£## ##£¤£%\-,,
.,-~==§&£@ @£&§==~-,.