£%;-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-;%£
&£%;-,,,,, ,,,,,-;%£&
¶&£%;-,,,, ,,,,-;%£&¶
#¶&£%;-,,, ,,,-;%£&¶#
##¶&£%;-,, ,,-;%£&¶##
#¶&£%;-,,, # -------------------- # ,,,-;%£&¶#
¶&£%;-,,,, ; 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. ¨,,¨,¨.^~/
$\«.,,¨¨,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,¨¨,,.«\$
§^==:¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨:==^§
¤$**~^¨¨,. .,¨¨^~**$¤
¶§%=†».¨.. ..¨.»†=%§¶
##¤¤$/=.¨¨ ¨¨.=/$¤¤##
##@£§%\~,. .,~\%§£@##