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