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