^«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«^
^^«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«^^
@^^«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«^^@
@@^^«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«^^@@
#@@^^«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«^^@@#
##@@^^«.¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨.«^^@@##
###@@^^«.¨ ^ 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. .,,¨¨¨¨,¨¨
:,,,¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨,,,:
«,,,¨.,..¨ ¨..,.¨,,,«
;~^¨¨¨.,.. ..,.¨¨¨^~;
*/=~...¨¨, ,¨¨...~=/*
&$;~.¨,¨,. .,¨,¨.~;$&