##@£†=~,,, ,,,~=†£@##
###@£†=~,, ,,~=†£@###
##@£†=~,,, ,,,~=†£@##
#@£†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†£@#
@£†=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=†£@
£†=~,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,~=†£
†=~,,,,,,, = 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. ..,.,¨¨..:
¨,.¨,¨¨,,. .,,¨¨,¨.,¨
.,.¨¨..,., ,.,..¨¨.,.
¨.¨..¨..,. .,..¨..¨.¨
,,.,,¨¨.¨, ,¨.¨¨,,.,,
--¨¨.,,¨,, ,,¨,,.¨¨--