##@$^\~-¨¨ ¨¨-~\^$@##
###@$^\~-¨ ¨-~\^$@###
##@$^\~-¨¨ ¨¨-~\^$@##
#@$^\~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~\^$@#
@$^\~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~\^$@
$^\~-¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨-~\^$
^\~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ¨.¨..,.¨.,
¨.,...,,¨. .¨,,...,.¨
,¨¨.,,,,,¨ ¨,,,,,.¨¨,
~-,,.,¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨,.,,-~
†»,¨,¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨,¨,»†
%\«~¨,,.,¨ ¨,.,,¨~«\%