,,,,,~»==£ £==»~,,,,,
,,,,~»==£# #£==»~,,,,
,,,~»==£#@ @#£==»~,,,
,,~»==£#@@ @@#£==»~,,
,~»==£#@@# #@@#£==»~,
,,~»==£#@@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @@#£==»~,,
,,,~»==£#@ = 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. ¨¨¨,..¨,.,
.¨,.¨,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,¨.,¨.
,.,¨¨,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,¨¨,.,
¨,.....,,¨ ¨,,.....,¨
¨¨.,.¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨.,.¨¨
,,¨.,¨,,.- -.,,¨,.¨,,