....¤.¤.¤¤ .¤..¤.¤¤¤¤
...¤¤.¤..¤ ¤¤.¤¤..¤¤¤
..¤.¤.¤.¤¤ .¤..¤.¤.¤¤
.¤¤.¤.¤..¤ ¤¤.¤¤.¤..¤
..¤.¤.¤.¤¤ .¤..¤.¤.¤¤
.¤¤.¤.¤..¤ # ==================== # ¤¤.¤¤.¤..¤
..¤.¤.¤.¤¤ ; 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%§EXACTLYHOW&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. ¤#,.¤.¨§
.¨@,@¨£.#@ ¨§¨.¤.§¨£@
,@§,#,¤,.@ @&¨£§,@.,#
,,&.§¨§,#£ .¤,,#,¤¨§¤
,@&¨£.¤.,¤ @&¨@@.&..#
¨.§,§¨#.&& ,@.¨¤¨@.¤@