*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*
$*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*$
£$*=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=*$£
££$*=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=*$££
@££$*=^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^=*$££@
#@££$*=^¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨^=*$££@#
##@££$*=^¨ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¨^=*$££@##
#@££$*=^¨¨ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ¨¨^=*$££@#
@££$*=^¨¨¨ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ¨¨¨^=*$££@
££$*=^¨¨¨¨ * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ¨¨¨¨^=*$££
£$*=^¨¨¨¨¨ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ¨¨¨¨¨^=*$£
$*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*$
*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. .,,,..,..¨
.¨¨¨.,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,.¨¨¨.
.¨..,¨,,¨. .¨,,¨,..¨.
,..¨¨.¨.., ,..¨.¨¨..,
¨.¨,.,,..¨ ¨..,,.,¨.¨
,.¨¨¨.,¨,, ,,¨,.¨¨¨.,