=*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~*=
*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~*
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~*
=*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ * 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. ,¨¨.,,,^~\
$/~~.,,.., ,..,,.~~/$
%%\~-.¨¨.. ..¨¨.-~\%%
¤¤*=«,¨..¨ ¨..¨,«=*¤¤
@¤&%\«,..¨ ¨..,«\%&¤@
#@&@†=«~,, ,,~«=†@&@#