^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^
§^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^§
%§^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^§%
@%§^~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~^§%@
#@%§^~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~^§%@#
##@%§^~¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨~^§%@##
###@%§^~¨¨ ^ 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. ,,¨¨¨,.,¨¨
,¨¨.¨¨,,,. .,,,¨¨.¨¨,
¨.,.,,¨,¨. .¨,¨,,.,.¨
,¨¨,¨..,¨¨ ¨¨,..¨,¨¨,
¨,.¨.,,,.¨ ¨.,,,.¨.,¨
,¨.¨,¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨,¨.¨,