...¤...¤¤. ¤¤........
¤¤...¤.... ...¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤..¤...¤¤. ¤¤..¤¤¤¤¤¤
.....¤.... ¤....¤¤¤¤¤
.¤¤¤...¤¤. ..¤¤..¤¤¤.
..¤..¤.... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¤......¤..
¤......¤¤. ^ 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. ¤#§&§#£#£§
&§@£#§£&¤£ &@§§§##§@¤
£&¤@§£#§@¤ &¤¤#@££§
¤££§##§¤¤# £#§£¤£§¤¤£
#¤£&§¤@§¤& £§§§¤&&£&&
@£§&£§£#£§ ¤@&@¤¤£§@£