¶&¤%=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=%¤&¶
#¶&¤%=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=%¤&¶#
##¶&¤%=~-¨ ¨-~=%¤&¶##
#¶&¤%=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=%¤&¶#
¶&¤%=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=%¤&¶
&¤%=~-¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨-~=%¤&
¤%=~-¨¨¨¨¨ = 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;~ ¨..^«^$*@£
@%=*~,.¨.¨ --BEING « STOLEN «- FROM =«= THEM. , ¨.¨.,~*=%@
%*/~~,¨,¨¨ «~ . =»« . =. := = ¨¨,¨,~~/*%
^†~:¨,.,¨, : .^ , , ,¨,.,¨:~†^
:~~.¨..,.. . ¨ ¨ § ..,..¨.~~:
=..,.¨¨,,. .,,¨¨.,..=
,¨.¨...,,¨ ,#, ¨,,...¨.¨,
,,¨.,..,.. ..,..,.¨,,
,,,¨.,,,¨, AND, ,¨,,,.¨,,,
»-,¨¨¨¨,¨, ,¨,¨¨¨¨,-»
;--,,.¨¨¨¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨¨¨¨.,,--;
%^»-...¨., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.¨...-»^%
£%*-.¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨.-*%£
&&%:«~¨,¨. .¨,¨~«:%&&
@#$=†~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~†=$#@
##££†;»,.¨ ¨.,»;†££##
##@&&*/~:¨ ¨:~/*&&@##