&$*;«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«;*$&
@&$*;«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«;*$&@
#@&$*;«,¨¨ ¨¨,«;*$&@#
##@&$*;«,¨ ¨,«;*$&@##
#@&$*;«,¨¨ ¨¨,«;*$&@#
@&$*;«,¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨,«;*$&@
&$*;«,¨¨¨¨ ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ¨¨¨¨,«;*$&
$*;«,¨¨¨¨¨ ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ¨¨¨¨¨,«;*$
*;«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ,..,»^%%¤@
&£=/«-,,,. .,,,-«/=£&
@%†»,¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨,»†%@
=/-:,,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,,:-/=
\~:..¨,¨,¨ ¨,¨,¨..:~\
~:.,..,¨.. ..¨,..,.:~