†\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«\†
\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«\
«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«
\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«\
†\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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\~ ,¨,=^%$¤¶#
#@#£%==~.. «~BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM ~-~ THEM. , ..~==%£#@#
@£@¤*/~^¨, ~~ ¨ === ¨ -¨ ,» ~ ,¨^~/*¤@£@
¶#&=;=^.,, ^ -. , , ,,.^=;=&#¶
@*%^»-.¨., , , . ^ ,.¨.-»^%*@
%^=~..,,., ,.,,..~=^%
=\«,...¨,. ,#. .,¨...,«\=
\»:,,,.¨,, ,,¨.,,,:»\
=^..¨¨...¨ AND, ¨...¨¨..^=
-¨¨.¨.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.¨.¨¨-
~:,,,¨.,,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,,.¨,,,:~
;»:.,..¨.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..¨..,.:»;
%=~,,¨..,. .,..¨,,~=%
%$/-.,,,¨, ,¨,,,.-/$%
£&^:»-..¨¨ ¨¨..-»:^&£
@@¤%;--,.. ..,--;%¤@@
##@*$\~-¨, ,¨-~\$*@##