¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« # «««««««««««««««««««« # «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«: : 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. ¨..¨¨,.,¨.
.,¨.¨¨,,¨~ ~¨,,¨¨.¨,.
¨¨¨...¨.,» »,.¨...¨¨¨
¨,¨¨.¨¨^»= =»^¨¨.¨¨,¨
¨.¨,.,.»^$ $^».,.,¨.¨
¨,¨¨¨,«^%& &%^«,¨¨¨,¨