¨¨¨¨,===$§ §$===,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,===$§# #§$===,¨¨¨
¨¨,===$§## ##§$===,¨¨
¨,===$§### ###§$===,¨
¨¨,===$§## ##§$===,¨¨
¨¨¨,===$§# # ==================== # #§$===,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,===$§ = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = §$===,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,===$ = 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. #@%§/=~¨.¨
,..¨,=††£¤ ¤£††=,¨..,
¨,,...-;=£ £=;-...,,¨
,,,¨,.~=/= =/=~.,¨,,,
¨,.¨¨¨.:-/ /-:.¨¨¨.,¨
.¨.,,.¨¨-» »-¨¨.,,.¨.