¶#$^:-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-:^$#¶
#$^:-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-:^$#
$^:-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-:^$
^:-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-:^
:-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-:
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
:-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. ..,»==$¤##
#£§**»:.,, ,,.:»**§£#
££*/=:¨.., ,..¨:=/*££
$§;»-,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,-»;§$
†*=,¨....¨ ¨....¨,=*†
†«:..,,.,. .,.,,..:«†