#¤*%*~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~*%*¤#
##¤*%*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*%*¤##
###¤*%*~~¨ ¨~~*%*¤###
##¤*%*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*%*¤##
#¤*%*~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~*%*¤#
¤*%*~~¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨~~*%*¤
*%*~~¨¨¨¨¨ * 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. ...,¨,,¨¨.
,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
.¨,,.¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨.,,¨.
,,.¨¨.,.¨, ,¨.,.¨¨.,,
-:,¨,.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.,¨,:-
:«~¨¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨¨~«: