^~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~^
$^~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~^$
@$^~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~^$@
#@$^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^$@#
##@$^~,,,, ,,,,~^$@##
###@$^~,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,~^$@###
####@$^~,, ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ ,,~^$@####
###@$^~,,, ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ ,,,~^$@###
##@$^~,,,, ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ ,,,,~^$@##
#@$^~,,,,, ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ ,,,,,~^$@#
@$^~,,,,,, ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ ,,,,,,~^$@
$^~,,,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,,,~^$
^~,,,,,,,, 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. ¨.¨.,»/%$@
&††~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~††&
^^--...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...--^^
^~,..¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨..,~^
-,,.,¨¨.¨, ,¨.¨¨,.,,-
.¨..,,,,,. .,,,,,..¨.