¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-† †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-† †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†$ # -------------------- # $†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†$£ † 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^~ ##@¤£==«^,
,,,-:†$#@@ «~BEING » STOLEN ~~ FROM »~~ THEM. ¨ @@#$†:-,,,
¨¨,,»†=&§# =« , «-» , «¨ .- = #§&=†»,,¨¨
.¨,.^~*=£# ^ ~, , , #£=*~^.,¨.
.¨..,,»†%$ , ¨ . % $%†»,,..¨.
..,.,¨^-;% %;-^¨,.,..
¨.,...,--= ,#, =--,...,.¨
¨¨....,¨-~ ~-¨,....¨¨
¨¨.¨¨.¨¨¨^ AND, ^¨¨¨.¨¨.¨¨
,.¨.,,¨¨:» »:¨¨,,.¨.,
¨,¨¨.,¨~== NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ==~¨,.¨¨,¨
,,.¨¨,~~^* NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. *^~~,¨¨.,,
.¨...~~†*£ £*†~~...¨.
¨.¨,^«*=¤¤ ¤¤=*«^,¨.¨
¨,¨,~/*£&£ £&£*/~,¨,¨
,¨,~*†£#£# #£#£†*~,¨,
.~~:†$¤@## ##@¤$†:~~.