,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
;~,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,~;
^;~,,,,,,, ; 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, ,,¨¨..:«\%
*†*=-,¨¨., ,.¨¨,-=*†*
¶$$/«~,¨,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,¨,~«/$$¶
#@$*\»,¨.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.¨,»\*$@#
#@#@§\-,., ,.,-\§@#@#
###¶&§\«.. ..«\§&¶###
#@#£**~.., ,..~**£#@#
##¤†\=.,¨. .¨,.=\†¤##
@£^=-:.,¨, ,¨,.:-=^£@