¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^ ^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^* *^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-^*§ # -------------------- # §*^-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-^*§¶ ^ 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. ,,.¨,,.,¨.
,,¨..¨.,¨. .¨,.¨..¨,,
¨,,.¨...¨. .¨...¨.,,¨
,,..¨,¨,.. ..,¨,¨..,,
¨..¨,,.¨¨. .¨¨.,,¨..¨
¨,,,¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨,,,¨