,,,,,,,,-= =-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, : 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. .¨.,,.¨¨¨¨
,.,,,¨.,¨. .¨,.¨,,,.,
¨,,..¨.,,, ,,,.¨..,,¨
¨¨¨¨,,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,,¨¨¨¨
¨,.,.,¨¨¨- -¨¨¨,.,.,¨
¨,,¨,.¨,,~ ~,,¨.,¨,,¨