:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-
:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:
*:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:*
&*:-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-:*&
#&*:-:¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨:-:*&#
##&*:-:¨¨¨ : 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. ¨,,¨....^~
-,...¨..., ,...¨...,-
.,.,,.,,., ,.,,.,,.,.
.¨¨.,¨,,,, ,,,,¨,.¨¨.
»-¨¨.,¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨,.¨¨-»
;~,,,.,.¨. .¨.,.,,,~;