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