,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
;~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~;
†;~,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,~;†
*†;~,,,,,, ; 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. ,¨¨.,¨..:»
^-:,.¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨.,:-^
§\~-,,,,,. .,,,,,-~\§
§%:»,¨,,,. .,,,¨,»:%§
¤%%;~~,¨,, ,,¨,~~;%%¤
¶&£%†«:¨¨, ,¨¨:«†%£&¶