,,,,=:^%¤¶ ¶¤%^:=,,,,
,,,,,=:^%¤ ¤%^:=,,,,,
,,,,,,=:^% %^:=,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=:^ ^:=,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,=: :=,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,= # ==================== # =,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, : 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*~ ##@#**;«^.
.,,~\^$££# ~«BEING - STOLEN -- FROM »«~ THEM. . #££$^\~,,.
¨,¨-~/^£#¶ -« ¨ ~~= ¨ -, ,« » ¶#£^/~-¨,¨
¨¨.¨.=:*%£ : ,. ~ , £%*:=.¨.¨¨
¨¨¨,,,~*=$ ¨ ¨ ¨ * $=*~,,,¨¨¨
.,.,¨,,=\% %\=,,¨,.,.
¨¨.,¨,¨,~: .#, :~,¨,¨,.¨¨
¨¨¨,¨,,¨:= =:¨,,¨,¨¨¨
.,.¨¨.¨,¨- AND, -¨,¨.¨¨.,.
¨¨¨,...¨.. ..¨...,¨¨¨
¨.,,.,¨¨¨: NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. :¨¨¨,.,,.¨
¨.,,,¨¨,:» NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. »:,¨¨,,,.¨
.,,¨¨..~«; ;«~..¨¨,,.
¨¨..,.^=;† †;=^.,..¨¨
.¨..¨,~=*$ $*=~,¨..¨.
..¨,^-/§£¤ ¤£§/-^,¨..
,¨..-;*$§@ @§$*;-..¨,