¨¨¨¨¨:»*** ***»:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:»***§ §***»:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:»***§£ £§***»:¨¨¨
¨¨:»***§£# #£§***»:¨¨
¨:»***§£## ##£§***»:¨
¨¨:»***§£# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #£§***»:¨¨
¨¨¨:»***§£ * 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. -,¨..,,.,.
¨,¨,.,,.»^ ^».,,.,¨,¨
,¨¨.¨¨--== ==--¨¨.¨¨,
..¨¨¨^~;^¤ ¤^;~^¨¨¨..
¨,,¨~»†*£§ §£*†»~¨,,¨
¨,,^=†=%£@ @£%=†=^,,¨