,,-~=†&¤@# #@¤&†=~-,,
,,,-~=†&¤@ @¤&†=~-,,,
,,,,-~=†&¤ ¤&†=~-,,,,
,,,,,-~=†& &†=~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~=† †=~-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~= # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # =~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-~ = 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. ,¨¨,¨.¨.¨,
¨¨¨¨...,:» »:,...¨¨¨¨
¨.,¨,¨,.-\ \-.,¨,¨,.¨
¨.,,¨¨^~^§ §^~^¨¨,,.¨
,¨.,,:-==@ @==-:,,.¨,
¨..,-=*=£# #£=*=-,..¨