&%=-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-=%&
%=-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-=%
=-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-=
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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. ,,.,,¨.,,~
/»,,,..,¨. .¨,..,,,»/
$\~..¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨..~\$
*%/=,,,..¨ ¨..,,,=/%*
#$==~-¨.,. .,.¨-~==$#
£¤**=-~¨.. ..¨~-=**¤£