%%†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†%%
%†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†%
†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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. ,¨¨...,,^-
,.,¨,¨,¨,. .,¨,¨,¨,.,
¨,¨,,¨..¨. .¨..¨,,¨,¨
¨,,¨,,¨¨., ,.¨¨,,¨,,¨
,¨.¨¨,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,¨¨.¨,
¨.,.¨,,,.¨ ¨.,,,¨.,.¨