«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
;«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«;
†;«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«;†
&†;«,¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨,«;†&
&&†;«,¨¨¨¨ ; 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. .,¨.,~»**&
#$%=~.,,,¨ ¨,,,.~=%$#
@&$§†~-,,¨ ¨,,-~†§$&@
#¶§§^^»-¨¨ ¨¨-»^^§§¶#
#@£¤*%/«,¨ ¨,«/%*¤£@#
@#£@§\~~¨, ,¨~~\§@£#@