¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. £*»-.,¨,,¨
,,¨¨¨.¨~=^ ^=~¨.¨¨¨,,
,.,..,,,,- -,,,,..,.,
..¨¨.¨,.¨. .¨.,¨.¨¨..
¨¨.¨,¨,.., ,..,¨,¨.¨¨
,...,,¨.¨. .¨.¨,,...,