##§%§/=-¨¨ ¨¨-=/§%§##
###§%§/=-¨ ¨-=/§%§###
##§%§/=-¨¨ ¨¨-=/§%§##
#§%§/=-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-=/§%§#
§%§/=-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-=/§%§
%§/=-¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨-=/§%
§/=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. ......¨.¨,
,¨¨,¨,..,. .,..,¨,¨¨,
.¨.¨,¨,.¨, ,¨.,¨,¨.¨.
,,¨¨¨.,.., ,..,.¨¨¨,,
~¨¨.¨¨..¨, ,¨..¨¨.¨¨~
~...,¨,.,. .,.,¨,...~