&*†/»,,,,, ,,,,,»/†*&
#&*†/»,,,, ,,,,»/†*&#
##&*†/»,,, ,,,»/†*&##
###&*†/»,, ,,»/†*&###
##&*†/»,,, ,,,»/†*&##
#&*†/»,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,»/†*&#
&*†/»,,,,, / 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. ,...,.¨¨,,
¨¨...¨,... ...,¨...¨¨
.,.,.,.¨¨. .¨¨.,.,.,.
,,,,.,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,.,,,,
,,,¨.,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,.¨,,,
~..,¨..¨., ,.¨..¨,..~