#¶§£%:-~¨¨ ¨¨~-:%£§¶#
##¶§£%:-~¨ ¨~-:%£§¶##
#¶§£%:-~¨¨ ¨¨~-:%£§¶#
¶§£%:-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-:%£§¶
§£%:-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-:%£§
£%:-~¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨~-:%£
%:-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. ¨,¨^«:^&£#
@§$\»~..¨, ,¨..~»\$§@
$^*=-.,,¨, ,¨,,.-=*^$
$†=,¨¨..¨. .¨..¨¨,=†$
^~:.,.,..¨ ¨..,.,.:~^
=,¨,.,¨... ...¨,.,¨,=