:~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~:
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. ...¨,..,¨¨
,,.¨.....¨ ¨.....¨.,,
,¨,.,¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨,.,¨,
,,.¨,¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨,¨.,,
,..,,,.¨.. ..¨.,,,..,
,¨¨.¨¨.,,¨ ¨,,.¨¨.¨¨,