&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨& &&&&¨&¨&&&
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨& &¨¨¨&&&&¨¨
¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨& &&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨& &¨&¨&&¨¨&&
&&&&&¨¨¨¨& ¨&&&&¨&¨&¨
&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨&¨¨¨&&&&&
¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨& ^ 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. ,,.&,¤§.¨.
.#,&¨&£@§@ ,..§£§.#¨¨
.#£§¤£..,. .,,#.,&§¤,
¨¤.,.¨§.¨, ¨.¨#£¨&¨.&
§&#,.,#¤,, ,¨¨#¨§#£,#
,.¨¤.¨§.§, ¤¨.§§&,,@¤