*†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†*
**†-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-†**
#**†-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-†**#
@#**†-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-†**#@
#@#**†-~¨¨ ¨¨~-†**#@#
##@#**†-~¨ # -------------------- # ¨~-†**#@##
#@#**†-~¨¨ † 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. ¨.,.,~=$¤#
#¤£*/~,... NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ...,~/*£¤#
#£#&=:-^., ,.^-:=&#£#
##¶££*/»,¨ ¨,»/*££¶##
#¶#£%=~^¨¨ ¨¨^~=%£#¶#
#¤&$^=:,,¨ ¨,,:=^$&¤#
§§†\=^¨.,¨ ¨,.¨^=\†§§