@%;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;%@
%;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;%
;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ,.~=†§£&##
#£*†=-~.¨. .¨.~-=†*£#
£%**=-.¨¨. .¨¨.-=**%£
%**~:,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,:~**%
=;»,,.¨,.. ..,¨.,,»;=
:»-.¨...¨¨ ¨¨...¨.-»: