,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
^,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,^
«^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^«
:«^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^«:
*:«^,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,^«:*
$*:«^,,,,, : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS : ,,,,,^«:*$
¤$*:«^,,,, : IN A STALE TIMELINE, : ,,,,^«:*$¤
@¤$*:«^,,, : BRANCHED WAY BACK : ,,,^«:*$¤@
#@¤$*:«^,, : WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR : ,,^«:*$¤@#
##@¤$*:«^, : WAS ALMOST BARREN, : ,^«:*$¤@##
#@¤$*:«^,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,^«:*$¤@#
@¤$*:«^,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,^«:*$¤@
¤$*:«^,,,, : AT ALL... : ,,,,^«:*$¤
$*:«^,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,^«:*$
*=«:,.,... ...,.,:«=*
==:¨,,¨..¨ 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. .,,,.,,,¨,
.,¨¨¨,,,,. .,,,,¨¨¨,.
.¨....,,¨¨ ¨¨,,....¨.
,¨,¨...,,, ,,,...¨,¨,
..,..,.,,. .,,.,..,..
,,.....,., ,.,.....,,