##@§¤§\~~¨ ¨~~\§¤§@##
#@§¤§\~~¨¨ ¨¨~~\§¤§@#
@§¤§\~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~\§¤§@
§¤§\~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~\§¤§
¤§\~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~\§¤
§\~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~\§
\~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. .¨.¨-»;§$§
#¤%$;~,.,. .,.,~;$%¤#
##@$*†«-,, ,,-«†*$@##
#@#§£%*»~. .~»*%£§#@#
#@§$%/~,.. ..,~/%$§@#
#§$^\».,¨, ,¨,.»\^$§#