¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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. ,¨,.¨.,,¨,
~,¨..¨,.¨¨ ¨¨.,¨..¨,~
--,,,.,,,¨ ¨,,,.,,,--
=~,..¨¨,.. ..,¨¨..,~=
=;~~¨¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨¨~~;=
@^=«:,,¨.. ..¨,,:«=^@