......,»=% %=»,......
.....,»=%§ §%=»,.....
....,»=%§¤ ¤§%=»,....
...,»=%§¤¶ ¶¤§%=»,...
..,»=%§¤¶# #¶¤§%=»,..
.,»=%§¤¶## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##¶¤§%=»,.
..,»=%§¤¶# = 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. &%:«-,.,¨.
¨,.,¨.,-;§ §;-,.¨,.,¨
,¨.¨..¨-=* *=-¨..¨.¨,
.,,,..¨¨:~ ~:¨¨..,,,.
,,.¨..,¨,, ,,¨,..¨.,,
,¨..¨¨¨,.. ..,¨¨¨..¨,