~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
§-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-§
%§-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-§%
@%§-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-§%@
£@%§-~¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨~-§%@£
@£@%§-~¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨...,.,,,,
.,¨,..,¨,¨ ¨,¨,..,¨,.
.¨...,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,...¨.
,,¨¨¨.¨¨.. ..¨¨.¨¨¨,,
.,¨¨.¨,.,. .,.,¨.¨¨,.
¨,,¨¨..¨.. ..¨..¨¨,,¨