##§§%:~~,, ,,~~:%§§##
###§§%:~~, ,~~:%§§###
##§§%:~~,, ,,~~:%§§##
#§§%:~~,,, ,,,~~:%§§#
§§%:~~,,,, ,,,,~~:%§§
§%:~~,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,~~:%§
%:~~,,,,,, : 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. ¨.¨,«†*%&@
#@§¤=†=-., ,.-=†=¤§@#
###@&†*~-¨ ¨-~*†&@###
#@#**:~:,. .,:~:**#@#
@&@$:«,¨., ,.¨,«:$@&@
§¤$/-^¨,¨. .¨,¨^-/$¤§