^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. .,,,.¨¨,,¨
¨.¨¨.¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨.¨¨.¨
¨¨.¨¨¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨¨¨.¨¨
,,.,¨..,¨¨ ¨¨,..¨,.,,
-~,,.,¨,¨. .¨,¨,.,,~-
=~^,,.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.,,^~=