*=;«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«;=*
=;«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«;=
;«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«;
«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨.-«\§%£¶#
#&£=:=-¨.. ..¨-=:=£&#
££%*=:¨,,, ,,,¨:=*%££
%†:~~¨,.¨¨ ¨¨.,¨~~:†%
§=~^,,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,,^~=§
=-~..,,.,. .,.,,..~-=