,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.~ † 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. ,..¨,..,,,
¨¨.¨.,,.¨. .¨.,,.¨.¨¨
,.¨.,,,¨¨. .¨¨,,,.¨.,
¨,¨¨,,¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨,,¨¨,¨
,¨.,¨.,¨., ,.¨,.¨,.¨,
,,¨.¨¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨¨.¨,,