@*%=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=%*@
*%=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=%*
%=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=%
=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=
%=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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. ¨.,»/†&¤£#
£@@$*»-.¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨.-»*$@@£
@§=^«^..., ,...^«^=§@
%*†~-,..,. .,..,-~†*%
%*-.¨.¨... ...¨.¨.-*%
:«,,.,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,.,,«:
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨,, ,,¨¨¨¨¨¨~~