¶¤%=;~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~;=%¤¶
#¶¤%=;~.¨¨ ¨¨.~;=%¤¶#
##¶¤%=;~.¨ ¨.~;=%¤¶##
#¶¤%=;~.¨¨ ¨¨.~;=%¤¶#
¶¤%=;~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~;=%¤¶
¤%=;~.¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨.~;=%¤
%=;~.¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨.¨,,,~~:%
%$†»,¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨,»†$%
£&§*»:..¨¨ ¨¨..:»*§&£
¶#@§*~.,., ,.,.~*§@#¶
@@££§=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=§££@@
###£$†/=,¨ ¨,=/†$£###