@&$†;,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,;†$&@
#@&$†;,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,;†$&@#
##@&$†;,¨¨ ¨¨,;†$&@##
###@&$†;,¨ ¨,;†$&@###
##@&$†;,¨¨ ¨¨,;†$&@##
#@&$†;,¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨,;†$&@#
@&$†;,¨¨¨¨ ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ¨¨¨¨,;†$&@
&$†;,¨¨¨¨¨ ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ¨¨¨¨¨,;†$&
$†;,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; ¨¨¨¨¨¨,;†$
†;,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ,,,::*§£#@
@£*=\:.,,. .,,.:\=*£@
§£^/~¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨~/^£§
&%\:¨¨¨,., ,.,¨¨¨:\%&
^=,.,...,, ,,...,.,=^
\,.,.,..¨¨ ¨¨..,.,.,\