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