*=»-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-»=*
@*=»-,,,,, ,,,,,-»=*@
&@*=»-,,,, ,,,,-»=*@&
¶&@*=»-,,, ,,,-»=*@&¶
#¶&@*=»-,, ,,-»=*@&¶#
##¶&@*=»-, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,-»=*@&¶##
#¶&@*=»-,, = 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. .,.¨.,¨,,^
=,.,..,.., ,..,..,.,=
*«~¨..¨¨¨. .¨¨¨..¨~«*
*;~-¨.¨¨¨. .¨¨¨.¨-~;*
§===,,,¨.. ..¨,,,===§
@$*†~.,,,, ,,,,.~†*$@