,,,,,~\=@@ @@=\~,,,,,
,,,,,,~\=@ @=\~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~\= =\~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~\ \~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ 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. †=:..,,¨,,
¨.,¨,¨~=*§ §*=~¨,¨,.¨
,..¨¨,=:§¤ ¤§:=,¨¨..,
¨¨.¨~~=†§@ @§†=~~¨.¨¨
,.¨~«;%¤@# #@¤%;«~¨.,
..^~:%£@## ##@£%:~^..