,,:/%§¤#@# #@#¤§%/:,,
,,,:/%§¤#@ @#¤§%/:,,,
,,,,:/%§¤# #¤§%/:,,,,
,,,,,:/%§¤ ¤§%/:,,,,,
,,,,,,:/%§ §%/:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:/% # «««««««««««««««««««« # %/:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:/ / 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$KNOWLEDGE\~ .,.¨,¨¨¨..
¨¨,..¨,¨,, -~BEING = STOLEN ~~ FROM ~=~ THEM. , ,,¨,¨..,¨¨
,,,..¨.¨.. -= , »»« . ~. .» ~ ..¨.¨..,,,
,,¨.,¨.¨¨. , ~. - ¨ .¨¨.¨,.¨,,
,.¨¨.¨¨,,¨ , , ¨ † ¨,,¨¨.¨¨.,
,.,.¨¨.,.. ..,.¨¨.,.,
.¨..¨,,¨,\ .#. \,¨,,¨..¨.
,,..¨,¨.;* *;.¨,¨..,,
.,.¨,.,=*£ AND, £*=,.,¨.,.
,¨¨¨¨~*%$£ £$%*~¨¨¨¨,
,¨,,-;^%§# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #§%^;-,,¨,
,¨¨,;%%§@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@§%%;,¨¨,
.¨,:^¤@@## ##@@¤^:,¨.
¨~/$*¤#@## ##@#¤*$/~¨
,.-††$@£## ##£@$††-.,
...~:=£¤#@ @#¤£=:~...
¨,,.,:=*¤¶ ¶¤*=:,.,,¨