¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~: :~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:^ ^:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:^£ £^:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:^££ ££^:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:^££# #££^:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:^££## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##££^:~,¨¨
¨,~:^££### : 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 $§==,¨..¨,
,...,»=†*§ CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE §*†=»,...,
.¨.,»/=%§# LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, #§%=/»,.¨.
..:~\§£¤¶# « NOT UNDERSTANDING THE«DANGER, MOVE #¶¤£§\~:..
,-»:§§£@## CLOSER TO HELP THEIR¨FRIEND. ##@£§§:»-,
¨¨.«*^$@£# ¨ = ~ ^ . #£@$^*«.¨¨
¨..,-*†%¤@ AND.THEN¨THE¨POOL¨ANNOUNCES,ITSELF @¤%†*-,..¨
¨¨¨.~-;^%# TO,THEM,-,SUDDEN¨:¨THOUGHTS,OF, #%^;-~.¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨,~\=* ¨-«DARK~WOLVES-.CLIMBING.OUT.OF-~,= *=\~,¨¨¨¨,
,...,¨:~;* »~«THE«POOL,~SURROUNDING*THEM^-^;^ *;~:¨,...,
.,¨,.,,,~: ^SUDDEN/THOUGHTS=OF«~/CLIMBING;%= :~,,,.,¨,.
,.¨¨,¨.¨.« INTO%THE=POOL,†THEIR%THIRST=FLARING% «.¨.¨,¨¨.,
.,,..¨...^ %%§BRIGHT%-%@A@SUDDEN%¤AWARENESS# ^...¨..,,.
.,.,,.,,.¨ #*OF%&EXACTLY##HOW#THEY@HAD&TRAVELED,&# ¨.,,.,,.,.
.,¨¨¨.¨,¨, #¤OF¤THE#WAY@HOME£#TO#THE@TIME#FROM@@ ,¨,¨.¨¨¨,.
.,¨¨.,,.,¨ ##WHERE@THEY#CAME,##@##@#AND#THEN#### ¨,.,,.¨¨,.
.,,....,¨- #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE*« -¨,....,,.
¨,¨.,.,.,~ --BEING ~ STOLEN «~ FROM -«~ THEM. , ~,.,.,.¨,¨
.¨,..¨¨:«* »« ¨ -»« ¨ ~, ,~ » *«:¨¨..,¨.
.,,.¨¨:~^* . ,~ ^ , *^~:¨¨.,,.
..,¨..-†^§ . . . % §^†-..¨,..
,¨,.:-:§£§ §£§:-:.,¨,
,,.^~=$£@@ ¨#. @@£$=~^.,,
¨¨,-/^$&@# #@&$^/-,¨¨
,,-^*%§£## AND, ##£§%*^-,,
¨¨,-/%$&## ##&$%/-,¨¨
¨,¨:»;§%@@ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. @@%§;»:¨,¨
.,,¨~~;%%@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @%%;~~¨,,.
¨.,¨.,-/§$ $§/-,.¨,.¨
¨,¨,,¨,=\% %\=,¨,,¨,¨
,,¨,¨,.,«/ /«,.,¨,¨,,
,,,,,¨¨,,- -,,¨¨,,,,,
¨.......,: :,.......¨