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