:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-
;-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-;
$;-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-;$
$$;-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-;$$
@$$;-:¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨:-;$$@
#@$$;-:¨¨¨ ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ¨¨¨:-;$$@#
##@$$;-:¨¨ ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ¨¨:-;$$@##
###@$$;-:¨ ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; ¨:-;$$@###
##@$$;-:¨¨ ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; ¨¨:-;$$@##
#@$$;-:¨¨¨ ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ¨¨¨:-;$$@#
@$$;-:¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨:-;$$@
$$;-:¨¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨¨:-;$$
$;-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; AT ALL... ; ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-;$
;-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-;
«:.,,,,.,. .,.,,,,.:«
:..¨,.,¨.¨ 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. .,,¨,.,¨..
,,¨¨¨..,.¨ ¨.,..¨¨¨,,
¨..,¨.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.¨,..¨
¨¨.¨,.,,¨, ,¨,,.,¨.¨¨
,,.¨.¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨.¨.,,
¨¨¨¨,¨,... ...,¨,¨¨¨¨