¨¨¨^»\^$@¶ ¶@$^\»^¨¨¨
¨¨^»\^$@¶# #¶@$^\»^¨¨
¨^»\^$@¶## ##¶@$^\»^¨
¨¨^»\^$@¶# #¶@$^\»^¨¨
¨¨¨^»\^$@¶ ¶@$^\»^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^»\^$@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @$^\»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»\^$ \ 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. @¶#£§†»..¨
¨..,~;=%£@ @£%=;~,..¨
,¨.¨~«=§§# #§§=«~¨.¨,
.,¨..:=†%@ @%†=:..¨,.
.,¨¨¨,.=:= =:=.,¨¨¨,.
,¨¨¨,...~^ ^~...,¨¨¨,