=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
==~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~==
%==~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~==%
@%==~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~==%@
¶@%==~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~==%@¶
#¶@%==~¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨~==%@¶#
##¶@%==~¨¨ = 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. ..,.,¨,,.,
.¨.¨,,,,,. .,,,,,¨.¨.
,,.¨¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨¨.,,
,..¨,¨.,., ,.,.¨,¨..,
¨,,¨,.¨,¨. .¨,¨.,¨,,¨
,¨,,¨..¨¨. .¨¨..¨,,¨,