*^=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=^*
^=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=^
=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ 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. . ,,,¨,¨,.¨:
~-,¨,¨,.¨, -~ . ~-= , -, .« = ,¨.,¨,¨,-~
\~-.,,.,.. ~ :~ . . ..,.,,.-~\
*/~^,..... . . , % .....,^~/*
¤^/«-¨.¨., ,.¨.¨-«/^¤
¤$*:=^,¨.¨ ¨#, ¨.¨,^=:*$¤
@&@%;~,,¨. .¨,,~;%@&@
#£¤$*/~^., AND, ,.^~/*$¤£#
##@¤¤§†~,. .,~†§¤¤@##
###$*†~,.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.,~†*$###
£@@$^~,.¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨.,~^$@@£
§&*/~^¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨^~/*&§
%*;«,¨.... ....¨,«;*%
§*~,,,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,,,~*§
^=:,¨,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,¨,:=^
~~.,¨.,.,, ,,.,.¨,.~~