*$:~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~:$*
$:~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~:$
:~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~:
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, : 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. ¨..-*$@£#@
##$§\~¨..¨ ¨..¨~\§$##
£@*;^,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,^;*@£
*=^:,.¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨.,:^=*
%^-,¨¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨¨,-^%
=,.¨¨,.,,. .,,.,¨¨.,=