@#§*†;-~¨¨ ¨¨~-;†*§#@
#@#§*†;-~¨ ¨~-;†*§#@#
@#§*†;-~¨¨ ¨¨~-;†*§#@
#§*†;-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-;†*§#
§*†;-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-;†*§
*†;-~¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨~-;†*
†;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨,¨¨.,.,,¨
¨..¨¨..¨,. .,¨..¨¨..¨
^,¨¨¨,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,¨¨¨,^
~,,...,.., ,..,...,,~
=«,,..¨.,¨ ¨,.¨..,,«=
§:~.,...,, ,,...,.~:§