$=-:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:-=$
=-:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:-=
-:,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,:-
:,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,:
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = 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. ,¨,¨¨,=†$%
¤%§†~~.¨,¨ ¨,¨.~~†§%¤
@£§†\»..,, ,,..»\†§£@
#@@¤§†~-¨, ,¨-~†§¤@@#
##@&$=:»-, ,-»:=$&@##
#@£%%/~... ...~/%%£@#