¤@$/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/$@¤
@$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$@
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. ,.~;^@&#@#
@##£=\--¨. .¨--\=£##@
¶#£=/-^... ...^-/=£#¶
§&§†»^¨,.¨ ¨.,¨^»†§&§
&*=~,..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..,~=*&
^=~~,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,~~=^