###¤%\=,¨¨ ¨¨,=\%¤###
####¤%\=,¨ ¨,=\%¤####
###¤%\=,¨¨ ¨¨,=\%¤###
##¤%\=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=\%¤##
#¤%\=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=\%¤#
¤%\=,¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨,=\%¤
%\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ,,..»:=@@#
¶¤%\=^,.,, ,,.,^=\%¤¶
¤§/~-¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨-~/§¤
=:--¨,,,¨. .¨,,,¨--:=
;-~¨¨..¨¨, ,¨¨..¨¨~-;
~:¨.,..,,¨ ¨,,..,.¨:~