¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*% %*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=*%£ £%*=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=*%£@ @£%*=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~=*%£@# #@£%*=~¨¨¨
¨¨~=*%£@## ##@£%*=~¨¨
¨~=*%£@### # ==================== # ###@£%*=~¨
¨¨~=*%£@## * 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, £$††~,,¨¨,
,,,:=/^@§@ @§@^/=:,,,
¨¨.»\*&§@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@§&*\».¨¨
.:-/†£@£## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##£@£†/-:.
.¨,~;^@### ###@^;~,¨.
.¨.:=\*£@¶ ¶@£*\=:.¨.
.¨,,~«/$*& &*$/«~,,¨.
.,,,¨^»;§$ $§;»^¨,,,.
,¨,¨..^~:% %:~^..¨,¨,