,,,,,,,-~: :~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-~ ~-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~: :~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-~:= =:~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~:=% %=:~-,,,,,
,,,,-~:=%@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @%=:~-,,,,
,,,-~:=%@# : 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. £$=~..¨,,,
,¨,.¨..~*% NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. %*~..¨.,¨,
,¨¨..¨,^~^ ^~^,¨..¨¨,
¨.¨¨¨¨,.,~ ~,.,¨¨¨¨.¨
¨¨,..¨.~=; ;=~.¨..,¨¨
,,,¨..,-;$ $;-,..¨,,,
..¨¨¨,-\*¤ ¤*\-,¨¨¨..