»-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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,$# ,,,¨¨¨¨¨,.
,¨,¨¨,¨¨¨, #@OF£THE¶WAY@HOME@¶TO@THE#TIME¶FROM£@ ,¨¨¨,¨¨,¨,
....,,,.., #@WHERE#THEY@CAME,##@##@#AND@THEN#@## ,..,,,....
¨.,¨.,,,.¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE:» ¨.,,,.¨,.¨
.¨.,..,..¨ «~BEING = STOLEN -~ FROM =»- THEM. ¨ ¨..,..,.¨.
¨¨,¨¨¨.¨.. =- ¨ -~= . «¨ ,= » ..¨.¨¨¨,¨¨
.,¨....,.. ^ ^~ - ¨ ..,....¨,.
....,.,.,¨ , ¨ ¨ % ¨,.,.,....
~,..¨,¨,,. .,,¨,¨..,~
~~,¨¨¨,... ¨#. ...,¨¨¨,~~
†~.,.,¨,¨. .¨,¨,.,.~†
*\-~,.,¨.¨ AND, ¨.¨,.,~-\*
§%^-:,,.,¨ ¨,.,,:-^%§
&£^\~,.,., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,.,.,~\^£&
#&*^\~^¨.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..¨^~\^*&#
#£§@†*=^¨¨ ¨¨^=*†@§£#
####$%/»:, ,:»/%$####
#@&§%/~~¨¨ ¨¨~~/%§&@#
@§%*^~^,.. ..,^~^*%§@
§£§^«.¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.«^§£§