¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~; ;~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~;* *;~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~;*£ £*;~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~;*£& &£*;~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-~;*£&@ @&£*;~-¨¨¨
¨¨-~;*£&@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@&£*;~-¨¨
¨-~;*£&@## ; 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. &=^~,¨..¨.
,.,.-~:%$& NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. &$%:~-.,.,
¨,.,~*=$¤# #¤$=*~,.,¨
.¨-=*%@&£@ @£&@%*=-¨.
.,=;^*¤¶## ##¶¤*^;=,.
.¨:«††%@## ##@%††«:¨.
...^~:%%@# #@%%:~^...