¨¨¨¨¨¨:=\$ $\=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=\ \=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: \ AT ALL... \ :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= # ==================== # =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.,..¨..^~† †~^..¨..,.
¨.¨.,¨~~\^ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ^\~~¨,.¨.¨
,,¨,.:~:%£ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, £%:~:.,¨,,
¨,¨¨:~:$¤& 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. $%^~-.¨¨¨,
,.¨,,=†%@# #@%†=,,¨.,
¨¨,,~;**@¶ ¶@**;~,,¨¨
,.,»=§$@@# #@@$§=»,.,
.,«††¤&### ###&¤††«,.
,.-~=§£@@# #@@£§=~-.,