##@&*†:~-, ,-~:†*&@##
#@&*†:~-,, ,,-~:†*&@#
@&*†:~-,,, ,,,-~:†*&@
&*†:~-,,,, ,,,,-~:†*&
*†:~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~:†*
†:~-,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,-~:†
:~-,,,,,,, : 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. ,¨¨¨:»^%$§
#¤%^==:¨.¨ ¨.¨:==^%¤#
#@§£*†=... ...=†*£§@#
####@%\=:. .:=\%@####
###@^;~:¨, ,¨:~;^@###
@&$*/~^,., ,.,^~/*$&@