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