,,,,,,,,,» »,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,»* *»,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,»*% %*»,,,,,,,
,,,,,,»*%§ §%*»,,,,,,
,,,,,»*%§& &§%*»,,,,,
,,,,»*%§&# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #&§%*»,,,,
,,,»*%§&## * 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. £&%^*~:¨,¨
,¨~=:$£¤#@ @#¤£$:=~¨,
,~«;*@£@## ##@£@*;«~,
,¨,-;%¤§@# #@§¤%;-,¨,
,,,~~**$#@ @#$**~~,,,
,¨¨,~~^§§@ @§§^~~,¨¨,