¤%^»-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-»^%¤
@¤%^»-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-»^%¤@
#@¤%^»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»^%¤@#
##@¤%^»-¨¨ ¨¨-»^%¤@##
###@¤%^»-¨ ¨-»^%¤@###
##@¤%^»-¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨-»^%¤@##
#@¤%^»-¨¨¨ ^ 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. ..,»^†%###
###@¤*†~,¨ ¨,~†*¤@###
##@%$*-,¨¨ ¨¨,-*$%@##
@#¤%†-~,¨, ,¨,~-†%¤#@
£¤%=-,¨¨,. .,¨¨,-=%¤£
$%^~,¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨,~^%$