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