†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†
$†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†$
$$†~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~†$$
@$$†~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~†$$@
@@$$†~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~†$$@@
#@@$$†~:¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨:~†$$@@#
##@@$$†~:¨ † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ¨:~†$$@@##
#@@$$†~:¨¨ † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ¨¨:~†$$@@#
@@$$†~:¨¨¨ † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ¨¨¨:~†$$@@
@$$†~:¨¨¨¨ † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † ¨¨¨¨:~†$$@
$$†~:¨¨¨¨¨ † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ¨¨¨¨¨:~†$$
$†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†$
†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. .,.,,»;*@#
§%==.,,¨., ,.¨,,.==%§
%:~~,.,¨¨. .¨¨,.,~~:%
\«:.¨,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,¨.:«\
-,¨.¨¨..,, ,,..¨¨.¨,-
:¨.¨¨.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.¨¨.¨: