,,,~=†&#@# #@#&†=~,,,
,,,,~=†&#@ @#&†=~,,,,
,,,,,~=†&# #&†=~,,,,,
,,,,,,~=†& &†=~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=† †=~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ = 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. %^†~,,¨¨..
,,¨¨...-:% %:-...¨¨,,
¨¨..¨¨.:~; ;~:.¨¨..¨¨
,¨¨,,..¨,= =,¨..,,¨¨,
¨¨,¨¨.¨,.. ..,¨.¨¨,¨¨
...¨¨¨¨.., ,..¨¨¨¨...