¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»* *»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~»*^ ^*»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»*^¤ ¤^*»~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»*^¤§ §¤^*»~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~»*^¤§# #§¤^*»~¨¨¨
¨¨~»*^¤§## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##§¤^*»~¨¨
¨~»*^¤§### * 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. ,,¨,.,.,,¨
.¨.,¨.,¨., ,.¨,.¨,.¨.
,.,,¨,,,^- -^,,,¨,,.,
¨¨¨..¨,,~= =~,,¨..¨¨¨
..,,..^«\§ §\«^..,,..
,¨¨,.:~;=* *=;~:.,¨¨,