¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,» »,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»† †»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,»†§ §†»,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»†§¤ ¤§†»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»†§¤£ £¤§†»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»†§¤£# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #£¤§†»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»†§¤£## † 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. ^¨¨,,,¨¨¨.
¨¨¨,¨.,,.. ..,,.¨,¨¨¨
,¨.¨,¨¨.,- -,.¨¨,¨.¨,
¨¨¨¨,,¨¨:» »:¨¨,,¨¨¨¨
..,..¨,~~* *~~,¨..,..
¨,...¨.=\* *\=.¨...,¨