&¨¨&¨&&&¨& &&&&¨¨&¨¨¨
&&¨&&&¨¨&& &¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨
&¨&&¨¨&¨&¨ &&¨¨&&&¨&¨
&&&¨&¨&&&& &¨&¨&¨¨&&&
¨¨¨&&&&¨¨¨ &&&&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨&&¨¨&&¨ ; 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. ¨¨,¨,,@#,&
,@¨§#¤@@ ¤¨.¨,.¤,&@
¤£&¤,¨.,.. @§.,¨,££§¨
@,¨,&¨.¨,. #,&¨.,&,,£
¨§,¨#§¨..¨ ,@¤&¨.¤&,¤
@@&,§,@¨,, @@,¨@¨#,&&