§¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§§¨¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ # -------------------- # ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ ^ 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. ¨¨,@¨.§..£
£,¨¨..¨.¨. ,¨¨.§.¨£.¨
.&,¨,,¨,¨. .¨,.,£.¨£,
,¨§....,.¨ .¨,¨,,#,.@
#.¨#.¨¨,.. §¨.¨¨,,¤,.
.&,.#..¨,. §#¨¨.¨,,#.