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