,,,,.-/§@# #@§/-.,,,,
,,,.-/§@#@ @#@§/-.,,,
,,.-/§@#@# #@#@§/-.,,
,.-/§@#@## ##@#@§/-.,
,,.-/§@#@# #@#@§/-.,,
,,,.-/§@#@ # -------------------- # @#@§/-.,,,
,,,,.-/§@# / 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. §§/»:,¨..¨
...¨^»\$@¶ ¶@$\»^¨...
¨¨,^~^*@£# #£@*^~^,¨¨
..,-;*££@# #@££*;-,..
¨^-†^@£### ###£@^†-^¨
.,.~*§§#@# #@#§§*~.,.