¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ^--,¨,¨¨¨.
¨,¨.¨.,.:~ ~:.,.¨.¨,¨
.,..¨,...- -...,¨..,.
¨¨¨..,¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨,..¨¨¨
,,,.,¨,,¨. .¨,,¨,.,,,
,.,....¨.. ..¨....,.,