##@#¤=/=,, ,,=/=¤#@##
#@#¤=/=,,, ,,,=/=¤#@#
@#¤=/=,,,, ,,,,=/=¤#@
#¤=/=,,,,, ,,,,,=/=¤#
¤=/=,,,,,, ,,,,,,=/=¤
=/=,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,=/=
/=,,,,,,,, / 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. ¨,.«†^¤¶##
##@¶@=:=~. .~=:=@¶@##
##¶@*\~,¨. .¨,~\*@¶##
@@&§:-~.,. .,.~-:§&@@
@§§†-^,¨¨. .¨¨,^-†§§@
#††~^¨¨,.. ..,¨¨^~††#