¨¨¨¨¨,~=%£ £%=~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~=%£¤ ¤£%=~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%£¤# #¤£%=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=%£¤#@ @#¤£%=~,¨¨
¨,~=%£¤#@# #@#¤£%=~,¨
¨¨,~=%£¤#@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @#¤£%=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%£¤# = 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. ¨.¨...,¨.¨
.,¨.¨.,.., ,..,.¨.¨,.
¨¨.¨.,¨,,, ,,,¨,.¨.¨¨
,,¨,,,,¨,, ,,¨,,,,¨,,
¨..¨,¨..¨. .¨..¨,¨..¨
.....,.,,~ ~,,.,.....