,,,,,,,,,: :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ; 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. *=~:,¨,¨..
,,¨,¨¨,.»; ;».,¨¨,¨,,
,.¨¨.¨.¨.= =.¨.¨.¨¨.,
.¨.¨..¨,,: :,,¨..¨.¨.
¨...,.¨... ...¨.,...¨
,.,.¨..¨.. ..¨..¨.,.,