¤¤¤¤¤..... .¤¤.¤¤.¤¤.
....¤..... ¤.¤¤.¤¤.¤¤
...¤¤....¤ ¤¤.¤¤.¤¤.¤
..¤.¤...¤¤ .¤¤.¤¤.¤¤¤
.¤¤¤¤..¤.¤ ¤.¤¤.¤¤..¤
¤...¤.¤¤¤. # -------------------- # ¤¤.¤¤.¤.¤¤
¤..¤¤¤..¤¤ ^ 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£@EXACTLYHOW@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. @,£#¨.¨@.¤
@¤&,£§#&,, £¤.¤¨,£§#¨
.,§¤,.¨¤¨. .§#@¨@¨.§#
¨#.£..&§¨@ ¤..&¨£¨¤
£@@@¨&.¤&¨ #¨&¨¨@&&£&
¨¨¨§£.@, ¤#§,&¨,,,,