,,,,,.-^%£ £%^-.,,,,,
,,,,,,.-^% %^-.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.-^ ^-.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.- -.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.- # -------------------- # -.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.-^ ^ 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. #@£@¤$\~^.
¨¨:-^§£@¶# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #¶@£§^-:¨¨
,¨¨.~/$¤£@ @£¤$/~.¨¨,
.¨¨¨-»/$*¤ ¤*$/»-¨¨¨.
.¨..,^~\%% %%\~^,..¨.
..,.,.,»=% %=»,.,.,..
,¨.,¨.,,=: :=,,.¨,.¨,