¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;
^;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;^
£^;~:¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ¨.¨,¨¨,..¨
¨,,¨¨,¨¨,. .,¨¨,¨¨,,¨
.¨¨.¨.¨,¨. .¨,¨.¨.¨¨.
¨.,¨,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,¨,.¨
¨,,,,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,,,,¨
-¨,,,¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨,,,¨-