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