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