&&§^=:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:=^§&&
#&&§^=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=^§&&#
##&&§^=:¨¨ ¨¨:=^§&&##
###&&§^=:¨ ¨:=^§&&###
##&&§^=:¨¨ ¨¨:=^§&&##
#&&§^=:¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨:=^§&&#
&&§^=:¨¨¨¨ ^ 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. ¨¨,=/%$##@
###&%^;=-¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨-=;^%&###
@@&$*\~:., ,.:~\*$&@@
##*%=-:,,, ,,,:-=%*##
@@=/~-,¨¨, ,¨¨,-~/=@@
£†;»,,,... ...,,,»;†£
^/»~,...¨. .¨...,~»/^