,,,,,,¤,,, ,¤¤¤¤,,,¤¤
,¤¤¤¤,,,¤¤ ,,¤¤,,¤,,,
,,¤¤,,¤,,¤ ,,,,,,,,¤¤
,,,,,,,,,, ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤,,,
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤, ,¤¤¤¤¤,,¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤,, # -------------------- # ,,¤¤¤,,,,¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤,,, † 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. #¤§#¤¤¤&
#¤¤@§£¤§@¤ §£@&@§£#
#@§#§#@§ @¤##&§@&@&
£¤££@@§#&§ £¤§§£¤£§
##&&§&£# #££&&££&§&
¤§#§&¤§£ £§£¤£&&#