&¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨& &¨&¨&¨¨&¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&
&¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ ^ 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. ..¨.&,,.,,
¨.#,,@..#¨ §....§,¨.¨
¨¨¨£¨.@.,§ .¤¨,¨¨¤...
¨.¨,£¨.¤¨, ¨,#,.,.@¨¨
¨.,.¨&,.§, .¨,@.¨,,£,
¨¨¨,¨,£,.& ¨,¨¨&¨,¨¨§