¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-* *-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*$ $*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-*$§ §$*-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-*$§¶ # -------------------- # ¶§$*-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-*$§¶# * 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. %§=~.,¨,.,
..¨,¨,=^¤¤ ¤¤^=,¨,¨..
,,,¨.»*¤## ##¤*».¨,,,
¨¨¨,«%*£## ##£*%«,¨¨¨
.,,~*%@@## ##@@%*~,,.
¨,~^%&@### ###@&%^~,¨