###@¤%=«^¨ ¨^«=%¤@###
##@¤%=«^¨¨ ¨¨^«=%¤@##
#@¤%=«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«=%¤@#
@¤%=«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«=%¤@
¤%=«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«=%¤
%=«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«=%
=«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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. ,¨.¨:~†%%¶
#@%%/=~... ...~=/%%@#
#@¶%^;~-,. .,-~;^%¶@#
###¶§*†=:¨ ¨:=†*§¶###
###&%==-,¨ ¨,-==%&###
@@@†:~^¨,. .,¨^~:†@@@