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