¨¨¨¨¨~~;%¤ ¤%;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;% %;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~; ;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ; 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. ##¤£%*«-.¨
,¨,-~^**£# #£**^~-,¨,
.¨,¨--^†£¤ ¤£†^--¨,¨.
¨¨,,,.-\=§ §=\-.,,,¨¨
¨¨,..¨,«†* *†«,¨..,¨¨
,¨,,¨,¨~»^ ^»~¨,¨,,¨,