%/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/%
$%/~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~/%$
§$%/~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~/%$§
#§$%/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/%$§#
##§$%/~:¨¨ ¨¨:~/%$§##
###§$%/~:¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨:~/%$§###
##§$%/~:¨¨ / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ¨¨:~/%$§##
#§$%/~:¨¨¨ / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ¨¨¨:~/%$§#
§$%/~:¨¨¨¨ / BRANCHED WAY BACK / ¨¨¨¨:~/%$§
$%/~:¨¨¨¨¨ / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / ¨¨¨¨¨:~/%$
%/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. .¨,¨.,.¨¨,
»-¨¨¨¨..¨. .¨..¨¨¨¨-»
/»:..¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨..:»/
^/~^¨,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,¨^~/^
&=^»:.,¨,, ,,¨,.:»^=&
&%%^«,,,,, ,,,,,«^%%&