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