,,,.-†§### ###§†-.,,,
,,,,.-†§## ##§†-.,,,,
,,,,,.-†§# #§†-.,,,,,
,,,,,,.-†§ §†-.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.-† †-.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.- # -------------------- # -.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. † 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. *^~.¨.¨,..
¨¨¨¨,.,^~^ ^~^,.,¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨,,,,~ ~,,,,¨¨¨¨.
¨.,¨¨¨¨..- -..¨¨¨¨,.¨
,.¨,,¨.,.. ..,.¨,,¨.,
¨...¨,,.,, ,,.,,¨...¨