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