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