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