@%§†--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--†§%@
%§†--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--†§%
§†--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--†§
†--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--†
--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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. ¨,¨,..¨¨..
~,.,.,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,.,.,~
:=.¨..,,¨¨ ¨¨,,..¨.=:
†:»~.,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,.~»:†
%%/~^.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.^~/%%
§%%/«,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,«/%%§