#&%*†~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~†*%&#
&%*†~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~†*%&
%*†~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~†*%
*†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†*
†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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. ..,.,.:«;§
==~..,,..¨ ¨..,,..~==
~,.,.,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,.,.,~
.,,..¨..¨, ,¨..¨..,,.
¨.¨¨.¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨.¨¨.¨
¨¨¨,¨¨¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨¨¨,¨¨¨