†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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. .¨,¨:~;*¤£
%%\~,.¨.,, ,,.¨.,~\%%
§\~,.....¨ ¨.....,~\§
/~~¨¨,,¨,. .,¨,,¨¨~~/
~,.¨.,,¨¨. .¨¨,,.¨.,~
.¨,..¨,¨., ,.¨,¨..,¨.