@#§%^»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»^%§#@
#§%^»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»^%§#
§%^»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»^%§
%^»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»^%
^»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»^
»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ 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. ,.,,¨¨,¨~-
,,,¨,.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.,¨,,,
-..¨,,¨¨.. ..¨¨,,¨..-
;~.,..¨,.¨ ¨.,¨..,.~;
%†»:,,¨,., ,.,¨,,:»†%
$†*=,...,. .,...,=*†$