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