##@#&@%;-¨ ¨-;%@&#@##
#@#&@%;-¨¨ ¨¨-;%@&#@#
@#&@%;-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-;%@&#@
#&@%;-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-;%@&#
&@%;-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-;%@&
@%;-¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨-;%@
%;-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. .,¨,,†%&@#
#@&&*=^¨¨. .¨¨^=*&&@#
##@@$^:~., ,.~:^$@@##
##@#&¤§*^, ,^*§¤&#@##
##@&*%*^¨, ,¨^*%*&@##
##&§*†,¨.¨ ¨.¨,†*§&##