%:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:%
@%:~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~:%@
#@%:~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~:%@#
@#@%:~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~:%@#@
#@#@%:~^¨¨ ¨¨^~:%@#@#
##@#@%:~^¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨^~:%@#@##
###@#@%:~^ : 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. ,¨,,,,¨,¨,
~.¨¨,.,,¨, ,¨,,.,¨¨.~
=~~¨¨¨,.¨, ,¨.,¨¨¨~~=
†:-,,,.,¨. .¨,.,,,-:†
$%/»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»/%$
@%=\~,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,~\=%@