#@@%$:~-¨¨ ¨¨-~:$%@@#
@@%$:~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~:$%@@
@%$:~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~:$%@
%$:~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~:$%
$:~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~:$
:~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~:
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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$KNOWLEDGE:« ¨..¨,¨..¨¨
,,¨¨,¨,,¨. ~-BEING ~ STOLEN «= FROM ~~~ THEM. , .¨,,¨,¨¨,,
.¨¨¨..¨¨.. ~~ , ~~= . «¨ ,~ ~ ..¨¨..¨¨¨.
.,¨¨¨,¨¨,¨ ^ :- . , ¨,¨¨,¨¨¨,.
.....¨..¨. ¨ . ¨ = .¨..¨.....
-¨,.¨,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,¨.,¨-
».,,,,,¨,¨ .#¨ ¨,¨,,,,,.»
=-:,.¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨.,:-=
*/«:¨,.¨¨. AND, .¨¨.,¨:«/*
§%^«,¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨,«^%§
£&§†«~¨,¨. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .¨,¨~«†§&£
£#***~.¨,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,¨.~***#£
#££&§:~-,, ,,-~:§&££#
##@¤**:-^. .^-:**¤@##
##@$§\»-¨. .¨-»\§$@##
@&§$†«.,., ,.,.«†$§&@
£§%†-,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,-†%§£