¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-» »-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-» ^ 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. §^^=..,¨.,
..¨,,~†%&§ §&%†~,,¨..
.¨¨^===£@£ £@£===^¨¨.
.,,=/=$@£# #£@$=/=,,.
,~-*$*#¶@# #@¶#*$*-~,
.,,=^§%§## ##§%§^=,,.