&¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨
&¨¨¨&&&&¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨&
&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨& &&¨¨&&&&&¨
&¨&&¨¨&&&& ¨&¨&¨¨¨¨&&
&&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨ &&&&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&&&&&¨¨¨& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨&¨¨&&¨&
&¨¨¨¨&¨¨&& / 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. ¨&.@¤#§.,¨
£..§,#§&,& §#¤¨,¨£¨¨¤
£¨§&@¨,¤@, .,@,¨£§,£,
&@..¤,§¨@. ,&£,£.&@#§
.¤¨£@¤&£&, #.##¤@....
£@&,¨.,¨¤¨ &@.¨¨#,.,.