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