@$§;~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~;§$@
$§;~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~;§$
§;~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~;§
;~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~;
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨,.¨,.,,.-
«-,¨,¨...¨ ¨...¨,¨,-«
\»~.....¨. .¨.....~»\
$^~,,¨¨,,. .,,¨¨,,~^$
£§/=,.,¨¨. .¨¨,.,=/§£
&£%=»-...¨ ¨...-»=%£&