,,,,,,~«=^ ^=«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«= =«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~« «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = 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# ,¨.,¨¨,¨¨¨
,...,.¨¨,, #$OF£#EXACTLY¤@HOW£THEY&HAD&TRAVELED,@# ,,¨¨.,...,
¨,,,..,,¨¨ #&OF£THE@WAY¶HOME¶@TO¶THE@TIME¶FROM#@ ¨¨,,..,,,¨
,¨,...¨¨¨, ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,#####@#AND@THEN##@# ,¨¨¨...,¨,
..¨¨,..¨¨¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE;» ¨¨¨..,¨¨..
...,¨,...: -~BEING ~ STOLEN =- FROM ~~« THEM. , :...,¨,...
,,..¨,,,^» ~» ¨ ==- ¨ -. ^« = »^,,,¨..,,
,,,,.,.-»/ : ,. , ¨ /»-.,.,,,,
..¨.¨,.»†% ¨ ¨ . § %†».,¨.¨..
.¨¨,.^~=*% %*=~^.,¨¨.
,.¨¨--^$£§ ,#, §£$^--¨¨.,
..¨:-^†$&# #&$†^-:¨..
,..~^%£§@# AND, #@§£%^~..,
.^»^^%#### ####%^^»^.
,,.»**£££# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #£££**».,,
.,,^~=§£&# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #&£§=~^,,.
....^=;*$& &$*;=^....
,¨,,.,=/§£ £§/=,.,,¨,
,.,,¨¨^-;^ ^;-^¨¨,,.,
¨,,,¨..~~; ;~~..¨,,,¨
¨..¨.¨.¨-- --¨.¨.¨..¨