§§:»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»:§§
§:»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»:§
:»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»:
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
:»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. .¨.,..,¨.=
;«,¨.,,.,¨ ¨,.,,.¨,«;
%\-,..¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨..,-\%
**†»:,..¨. .¨..,:»†**
¤&*^~~.,,. .,,.~~^*&¤
@&&%*«:,., ,.,:«*%&&@