†;--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--;†
£†;--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--;†£
§£†;--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--;†£§
£§£†;--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--;†£§£
#£§£†;--¨¨ ¨¨--;†£§£#
##£§£†;--¨ # -------------------- # ¨--;†£§£##
#£§£†;--¨¨ ; 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. .,,^«:*&&@
##§&§^~,,. .,,~^§&§##
###£@†*=:, ,:=*†@£###
@¶@$*^«:,, ,,:«^*$@¶@
@@¤†^-:¨.. ..¨:-^†¤@@
&*§/=:¨¨¨. .¨¨¨:=/§*&