¨¨¨¨¨.«\^% %^\«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\^ ^\«.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\ \«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.« «.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. =.¨,¨¨¨.,.
..,¨,,,,., ,.,,,,¨,..
.¨,.¨¨,..¨ ¨..,¨¨.,¨.
..,,,..¨,¨ ¨,¨..,,,..
.,..,.,.,. .,.,.,..,.
¨,,¨.,.,.. ..,.,.¨,,¨