&=\~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~\=&
¤&=\~:,,,, ,,,,:~\=&¤
@¤&=\~:,,, ,,,:~\=&¤@
#@¤&=\~:,, ,,:~\=&¤@#
##@¤&=\~:, ,:~\=&¤@##
#@¤&=\~:,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,:~\=&¤@#
@¤&=\~:,,, \ 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. ¨.¨.¨.~~:=
¤**-:.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.:-**¤
££^*«.,.¨, ,¨.,.«*^££
#&*=^~:¨.. ..¨:~^=*&#
#@§§%*~^,¨ ¨,^~*%§§@#
##@#¤%;~:¨ ¨:~;%¤#@##