¤..¤¤...¤. ¤.¤¤¤.¤¤..
.¤.¤¤¤...¤ ¤.¤.¤.¤¤¤.
...¤.¤¤... ¤.....¤.¤¤
¤....¤¤¤.. ¤¤......¤¤
¤¤...¤.¤¤. .¤¤.....¤.
¤¤¤....¤¤¤ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .¤¤¤......
¤.¤¤...¤.¤ \ 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. ¨,¨£§¤¨,,.
,.#,@¤,..£ .,¨¤,¤§.,¨
¨¨..##@¨.¨ @¨,¨,#&¤¨,
.¨.¨@¨&¤,, .§¨..§.#§¨
¨,¨.¨,@£#¨ .,&...¨#§#
@.¨..¨§.¤@ &.¨§¨..@,¤