,,,,-»†^$@ @$^†»-,,,,
,,,,,-»†^$ $^†»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»†^ ^†»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»† †»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † AT ALL... † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,.¨.¨.¨- -¨.¨.¨.,,,
.,.¨.¨..,~ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ~,..¨.¨.,.
.¨,...¨,~/ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, /~,¨...,¨.
.,¨¨.¨~~=* FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND *=~~¨.¨¨,.
,..,,,~\†$ 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,$# =-:¨...¨,,
¨,¨¨,¨,¨^- #&OF§THE#WAY@HOME£@TO£THE#TIME@FROM## -^¨,¨,¨¨,¨
.,,,.¨,,.: #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,@##@@#@AND@THEN@@#@ :.,,¨.,,,.
¨,¨¨....,. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE†~ .,....¨¨,¨
.¨,.¨,..¨¨ «-BEING » STOLEN -» FROM »»- THEM. , ¨¨..,¨.,¨.
.,¨¨.,.,,. «= , ~-~ ¨ »¨ .~ ~ .,,.,.¨¨,.
,¨¨¨.¨,,¨¨ : ~, , ¨ ¨¨,,¨.¨¨¨,
,...,¨,.¨¨ . ¨ ¨ % ¨¨.,¨,...,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.,. .,.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,.,¨,¨.,,. ,#, .,,.¨,¨,.,
,,.,¨...,. .,...¨,.,,
..¨.¨.,¨., AND, ,.¨,.¨.¨..
,.,¨.,,¨.: :.¨,,.¨,.,
¨¨¨,,¨¨.^» NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. »^.¨¨,,¨¨¨
,.¨..,.:~= NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. =~:.,..¨.,
.¨.¨,,:~†* *†~:,,¨.¨.
.¨¨.,^-†%$ $%†-^,.¨¨.
,¨,.^»*%£# #£%*»^.,¨,
.¨.-~†*¤## ##¤*†~-.¨.
¨¨^~;†@¶@# #@¶@†;~^¨¨