@@@$\-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-\$@@@
@@$\-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-\$@@
@$\-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-\$@
$\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\$
\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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, ,...¨.«*$@
@#&\~:.,,, ,,,.:~\&#@
@£&§\~:¨.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.¨:~\§&£@
##¶#@=-:¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨:-=@#¶##
###£¤@/«~¨ ¨~«/@¤£###
#@@§¤;-~,. .,~-;¤§@@#
#@§&*~.,,¨ ¨,,.~*&§@#
£&&^-,,,,. .,,,,-^&&£
§$=~~...., ,....~~=$§