¤$†-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-†$¤
$†-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-†$
†-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-†
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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, .,«†$%@£@#
###@#&*^-, ,-^*&#@###
#@#¤%*:=.. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ..=:*%¤#@#
@¶¤@*†»,¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨,»†*@¤¶@
@@$^\~,,¨, ,¨,,~\^$@@
£@**=¨,..¨ ¨..,¨=**@£
%††«...,.. ..,...«††%
%\-..¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨..-\%
:-¨¨,,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,,¨¨-: