,,,~/=%@## ##@%=/~,,,
,,~/=%@### ###@%=/~,,
,,,~/=%@## ##@%=/~,,,
,,,,~/=%@# #@%=/~,,,,
,,,,,~/=%@ @%=/~,,,,,
,,,,,,~/=% # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # %=/~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~/= / 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. £#£†*~-,,¨
..~~=*%@@# #@@%*=~~..
,^~:$$£@## ##@£$$:~^,
¨¨.-/^$#@# #@#$^/-.¨¨
¨.¨^-/*%§# #§%*/-^¨.¨
¨¨¨.-~:$£# #£$:~-.¨¨¨