¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\ \«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\= # «««««««««««««««««««« # =\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«\=* \ 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. %;~.¨,¨,,,
..,¨,,.-=^ ^=-.,,¨,..
.¨,.,¨,.^« «^.,¨,.,¨.
,,,¨.,,,,, ,,,,,.¨,,,
.¨¨¨¨¨.,¨, ,¨,.¨¨¨¨¨.
,.,.,.¨.¨: :¨.¨.,.,.,