¨&¨&¨&¨¨¨& &&¨&&¨&&&¨
¨&&&&&&¨¨& &¨&&¨&&¨¨&
&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨& ¨&&¨&&¨&¨&
¨¨&¨¨¨¨&&& &&¨&&¨&&&&
&¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨ &¨&&¨&&¨¨¨
&&&¨&¨¨&&¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &&&¨&&¨&¨¨
&¨¨&&&¨&¨& \ 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. §#,§¨§£,,£
¨,&@@.¤¨¨. £.¤£££¨&¨§
&¨@,.@&£.¨ .£@¨¨,&§#§
,@@¤.@¨,@¨ &@,&.,@..¨
,¤.¨¤¤#.¤§ ¨¨&¤&,&&.,
¨@£¨§,,&@. ..@¨,#@,§.