¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~* # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # *~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$ * 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. %%\«.,¨.,¨
,.¨,,,,~*% %*~,,,,¨.,
¨..¨¨¨,.»\ \».,¨¨¨..¨
¨,¨.¨,,¨,» »,¨,,¨.¨,¨
..¨¨.¨¨,.. ..,¨¨.¨¨..
,,,.,¨,¨,. .,¨,¨,.,,,