§\»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»\§
$§\»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»\§$
#$§\»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»\§$#
##$§\»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»\§$##
###$§\»:¨¨ ¨¨:»\§$###
####$§\»:¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨:»\§$####
###$§\»:¨¨ \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ¨¨:»\§$###
##$§\»:¨¨¨ \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ¨¨¨:»\§$##
#$§\»:¨¨¨¨ \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ¨¨¨¨:»\§$#
$§\»:¨¨¨¨¨ \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ¨¨¨¨¨:»\§$
§\»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ,..^~^%%¤#
#@§%=†-.¨¨ ¨¨.-†=%§@#
###£%*=~.¨ ¨.~=*%£###
##§£=:«^,, ,,^«:=£§##
#@&%;«~.,¨ ¨,.~«;%&@#
§¤**~:,¨.¨ ¨.¨,:~**¤§