¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/* */~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/ /~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ / 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$%AWARENESS# §*=:,,...,
,¨.,¨¨.~~/ #%OF%#EXACTLY&£HOW¤THEY&HAD@TRAVELED,£# /~~.¨¨,.¨,
...¨,,,.~= #&OF£THE#WAY¶HOME@@TO@THE£TIME@FROM¶£ =~.,,,¨...
.¨,.,¨¨.,: #@WHERE@THEY@CAME,##@####AND@THEN@@@@ :,.¨¨,.,¨.
¨¨¨,.¨¨,,, #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE;» ,,,¨¨.,¨¨¨
,,....¨.., ~»BEING - STOLEN »- FROM ~«~ THEM. ¨ ,..¨....,,
.¨.,.¨,¨:= »« ¨ =~» . ~¨ ^= ~ =:¨,¨.,.¨.
,,,¨,¨,,=; . .: - ¨ ;=,,¨,¨,,,
...,,¨,-/$ , ¨ ¨ † $/-,¨,,...
,¨,¨¨-~\†$ $†\~-¨¨,¨,
¨¨,¨:~=†¤# .#. #¤†=~:¨,¨¨
.,,:»*†%£¶ ¶£%†*»:,,.
,.,«*%%### AND, ###%%*«,.,
.,~\*&¤¶## ##¶¤&*\~,.
.,^-=^*§@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@§*^=-^,.
..¨^~†^£@@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @@£^†~^¨..
¨,.,:»/*$§ §$*/»:,.,¨
¨,,.¨:»;=£ £=;»:¨.,,¨
,,,,.,.-=* *=-.,.,,,,
¨,,.,.¨^~= =~^¨.,.,,¨
,¨,¨..,.-- --.,..¨,¨,