,,,,,~»\^@ @^\»~,,,,,
,,,,,,~»\^ ^\»~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~»\ \»~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~» »~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ 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. ^\«:,¨.,¨¨
¨..,,,~/*# #*/~,,,..¨
..¨¨,=;†@@ @@†;=,¨¨..
,,,.»\^@## ##@^\».,,,
..,~\*££## ##££*\~,..
,,~^^&¶@## ##@¶&^^~,,