,,,«;%@#¶# #¶#@%;«,,,
,,,,«;%@#¶ ¶#@%;«,,,,
,,,,,«;%@# #@%;«,,,,,
,,,,,,«;%@ @%;«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«;% %;«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«; # «««««««««««««««««««« # ;«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,« ; 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,$# ##&*†~~,.,
.,¨,:~;=%¤ #&OF@THE@WAY¶HOME¶¶TO£THE#TIME#FROM## ¤%=;~:,¨,.
.,,¨,,-**% #¶WHERE@THEY@CAME,####@##AND#THEN@### %**-,,¨,,.
,..,,,,~/† #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE^« †/~,,,,..,
,¨..,,.,~= --BEING ~ STOLEN »« FROM =«« THEM. . =~,.,,..¨,
.,,.¨,..:~ =« ¨ ~~« ¨ ~¨ ,~ « ~:..,¨.,,.
¨¨¨¨¨¨,,,~ , ,^ , . ~,,,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,¨,,.,,~» . . ¨ ^ »~,,.,,¨,¨
¨,.,..¨~=\ \=~¨..,.,¨
¨¨..,¨.«†* ¨#, *†«.¨,..¨¨
..¨,.^»*†% %†*»^.,¨..
,¨..-~*^§# AND, #§^*~-..¨,
,.¨.«/=%## ##%=/«.¨.,
¨.~»/*%§@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@§%*/»~.¨
¨~=^=£#@@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@@#£=^=~¨
^~=*$§@@## ##@@§$*=~^
¨-~†^*§£@# #@£§*^†~-¨
.¨:»†=£&£# #£&£=†»:¨.
¨¨.,»;§£§# #§£§;»,.¨¨
,,.,,-**£¤ ¤£**-,,.,,