§$=/«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«/=$§
@§$=/«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«/=$§@
#@§$=/«.¨¨ ¨¨.«/=$§@#
##@§$=/«.¨ ¨.«/=$§@##
#@§$=/«.¨¨ ¨¨.«/=$§@#
@§$=/«.¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨.«/=$§@
§$=/«.¨¨¨¨ / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ¨¨¨¨.«/=$§
$=/«.¨¨¨¨¨ / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ¨¨¨¨¨.«/=$
=/«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. .:~=†@§¶##
#£§%%*»,¨¨ ¨¨,»*%%§£#
¶&¤%;-~¨¨, ,¨¨~-;%¤&¶
£$%†~.,,¨. .¨,,.~†%$£
£*;~~...¨. .¨...~~;*£
=*»-..¨.,, ,,.¨..-»*=