#@@#£%/»-, ,-»/%£#@@#
@@#£%/»-,, ,,-»/%£#@@
@#£%/»-,,, ,,,-»/%£#@
#£%/»-,,,, ,,,,-»/%£#
£%/»-,,,,, ,,,,,-»/%£
%/»-,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,-»/%
/»-,,,,,,, / 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. .,.¨,,.¨,.
¨.,,,¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨,,,.¨
,,,¨,.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.,¨,,,
,.,,.,..¨¨ ¨¨..,.,,.,
~,..¨.¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.¨..,~
:=-.,¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨,.-=: