†:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:†
:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. ..¨,¨,¨.¨:
¨.¨.¨.,¨.¨ ¨.¨,.¨.¨.¨
¨¨.¨¨,.,,, ,,,.,¨¨.¨¨
¨¨,¨,..,., ,.,..,¨,¨¨
¨¨¨.,,,¨., ,.¨,,,.¨¨¨
¨,¨,¨.,,,. .,,,.¨,¨,¨