^»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»^
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ 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. ,¨¨,.¨,..,
¨,,..,,,., ,.,,,..,,¨
,.¨¨¨¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨¨¨¨.,
,,.,¨.¨.., ,..¨.¨,.,,
..,¨¨...., ,....¨¨,..
-¨.¨.¨,,,. .,,,¨.¨.¨-