,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ^ 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. £=;»^¨...¨
¨¨¨,¨¨,»:% %:»,¨¨,¨¨¨
¨,¨.,,,,~† †~,,,,.¨,¨
..,.,.¨.~« «~.¨.,.,..
,...¨.¨,,^ ^,,¨.¨...,
.,.,.,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,.,.,.