,¤,¤,¤,¤,¤ ¤,¤¤¤,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,¤ ¤,¤,¤¤,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ¤,,,¤¤¤,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ¤¤,,¤,¤¤,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,¤¤,,,¤¤¤,
,,,,,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,¤¤¤,,¤,¤¤
¤,,,,,,,,, = 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. .,,§£&.¨¤,
£¤£.¨,¨,¨. ,¨,¤¨¤&¨¨,
£¨#@,¨¨¨¨. .,,.¨§&¤,,
.¨&@§¨..., ...,,@,#@,
.¨§.¤¤.¨.¨ .¨¨¨¨..§&&
§,.¨§&@,¨¨ .¨..¨,,¤¨&