:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
/=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=/
$/=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=/$
%$/=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=/$%
§%$/=:¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨:=/$%§
@§%$/=:¨¨¨ / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ¨¨¨:=/$%§@
#@§%$/=:¨¨ / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ¨¨:=/$%§@#
##@§%$/=:¨ / BRANCHED WAY BACK / ¨:=/$%§@##
#@§%$/=:¨¨ / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / ¨¨:=/$%§@#
@§%$/=:¨¨¨ / WAS ALMOST BARREN, / ¨¨¨:=/$%§@
§%$/=:¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨:=/$%§
%$/=:¨¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨¨:=/$%
$/=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ / AT ALL... / ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=/$
/=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=/
~^.,¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨,.^~
^.,¨¨...¨, 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. ,,,.,¨,..=
,..,.¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨.,..,
,¨¨,,¨,..¨ ¨..,¨,,¨¨,
:¨,¨,,.,¨. .¨,.,,¨,¨:
~,.,.,..,. .,..,.,.,~
^~-,.,¨¨,. .,¨¨,.,-~^