¨¨¨¨¨^=;%$ $%;=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=;%$& &$%;=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^=;%$&@ @&$%;=^¨¨¨
¨¨^=;%$&@# #@&$%;=^¨¨
¨^=;%$&@## ##@&$%;=^¨
¨¨^=;%$&@# # ==================== # #@&$%;=^¨¨
¨¨¨^=;%$&@ ; 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. ,¨.¨¨¨...,
¨,¨,,..¨,¨ ¨,¨..,,¨,¨
,¨,¨,.,.¨. .¨.,.,¨,¨,
¨,,,..¨,,¨ ¨,,¨..,,,¨
,.¨¨.,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,.¨¨.,
¨,.,,,¨,.: :.,¨,,,.,¨