,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = 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. ¨,,¨,,¨,.,
¨.,¨¨,,.,, ,,.,,¨¨,.¨
..¨.¨.,,.¨ ¨.,,.¨.¨..
,¨¨¨.¨¨,.^ ^.,¨¨.¨¨¨,
.¨,,,¨..,« «,..¨,,,¨.
¨,,¨,¨,.=: :=.,¨,¨,,¨