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