¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨§ §¨§§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ §§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ / 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. .£¨§#,,,@¤
£&¨,..,&,# ...&¤¤¨¨¤,
§§#,,¨,.¨# .,.§.¤¤..,
@¨£¤,¨¨.¨@ ¨¨¨.¨&££..
¨.£§¤¨..,. #,.¨,§.£&,
..&¨¤§¨¨,. ¤¤¨.,..£¤#