#*%=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=%*#
¶#*%=~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~=%*#¶
#¶#*%=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=%*#¶#
##¶#*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*#¶##
#¶#*%=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=%*#¶#
¶#*%=~,¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨,~=%*#¶
#*%=~,¨¨¨¨ = 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. .¨¨.,,.:=:
%==,,,¨... ...¨,,,==%
%*^«~.¨¨¨. .¨¨¨.~«^*%
¤&*†=^.,¨. .¨,.^=†*&¤
#@*§/=-¨,¨ ¨,¨-=/§*@#
@@¤£=\»,.. ..,»\=£¤@@