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