#$§*~,,,,, ,,,,,~*§$#
$§*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*§$
§*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*§
*~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~*
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, * 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. ,.,.¨.¨,,~
»,.,...,,, ,,,...,.,»
=»~,.,..., ,...,.,~»=
**~~¨.¨,.. ..,¨.¨~~**
£%†~~,,,,¨ ¨,,,,~~†%£
@@%=-,,.¨, ,¨.,,-=%@@