,--/%$££@# #@££$%/--,
,,--/%$££@ @££$%/--,,
,,,--/%$££ ££$%/--,,,
,,,,--/%$£ £$%/--,,,,
,,,,,--/%$ $%/--,,,,,
,,,,,,--/% # -------------------- # %/--,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--/ / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / /--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- / BRANCHED WAY BACK / -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / WAS ALMOST BARREN, / ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / AT ALL... / ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- # -------------------- # -,,,,,,,,,
..¨,.¨.,^= =^,.¨.,¨..
...,.¨.:~^ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ^~:.¨.,...
,,¨,¨.^~;= LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, =;~^.¨,¨,,
¨¨.,,,~*§§ FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND §§*~,,,.¨¨
¨.,.,»=*£& ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. &£*=»,.,.¨
.¨,.«^=&&@ IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, @&&=^«.,¨.
¨.,~:%§@¶@ AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. @¶@§%:~,.¨
¨.~†%$¤@## ##@¤$%†~.¨
,¨.»*%§§@# ,#¨ #@§§%*».¨,
.,,.-=^&#¶ ¶#&^=-.,,.
¨¨¨¨,~†*@£ THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE £@*†~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨.¨,-=*=$ 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. ¶#*%\«,¨.¨
¨¨..-~:*$§ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. §$*:~-..¨¨
¨.,,,-»^*% %*^»-,,,.¨
.¨,,..^»*% %*»^..,,¨.
¨¨,.,¨.:=\ \=:.¨,.,¨¨
..,,...¨:« «:¨...,,..
¨.¨¨.¨,.,. .,.,¨.¨¨.¨