†/-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/†
/-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. ¨,.¨..¨¨¨,
¨,¨.¨¨,.¨. .¨.,¨¨.¨,¨
,.¨..,¨.,, ,,.¨,..¨.,
¨,,¨,..¨¨. .¨¨..,¨,,¨
¨,¨¨,¨.¨., ,.¨.¨,¨¨,¨
¨¨,,¨..¨,¨ ¨,¨..¨,,¨¨