¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~; ;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;^ ^;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~;^§ §^;~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~;^§@ @§^;~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~;^§@# #@§^;~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~;^§@#@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @#@§^;~:¨¨
¨:~;^§@#@# ; 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. &£^;--¨,,,
.,¨.,,~/%@ @%/~,,.¨,.
,,,¨¨¨~~:* *:~~¨¨¨,,,
¨¨,....~=\ \=~....,¨¨
,¨,.,,.¨^~ ~^¨.,,.,¨,
..¨¨.¨,..~ ~..,¨.¨¨..