^;--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--;^
;--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--;
--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ,¨.~~††%£@
&%^;=^¨¨,. .,¨¨^=;^%&
%$:=~.,,,¨ ¨,,,.~=:$%
^†»-.¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨.-»†^
/»:,,..¨., ,.¨..,,:»/
~,¨¨¨¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨¨¨¨,~