¨¨¨^«*%%§¶ ¶§%%*«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«*%%§¶@ @¶§%%*«^¨¨
¨^«*%%§¶@# #@¶§%%*«^¨
¨¨^«*%%§¶@ @¶§%%*«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«*%%§¶ ¶§%%*«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«*%%§ # «««««««««««««««««««« # §%%*«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«*%% * 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. -^¨...,,¨.
¨,,.,,,,.^ ^.,,,,.,,¨
,.,,,,,,,¨ ¨,,,,,,,.,
¨,,..,..¨, ,¨..,..,,¨
¨¨.....¨,, ,,¨.....¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,¨.- -.¨,,¨¨¨¨¨