,,,:»***#£ £#***»:,,,
,,,,:»***# #***»:,,,,
,,,,,:»*** ***»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»** **»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»* *»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»* * 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. ###@£†=-^¨
¨,.»*%$¤#@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @#¤$%*».,¨
¨..-~\**§# #§**\~-..¨
..,.:~*%§# #§%*~:.,..
,..¨¨:»=$§ §$=»:¨¨..,
,..,.,^~:^ ^:~^,.,..,
¨,,,¨..^~* *~^..¨,,,¨