,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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. ,,¨.^~^%%§
£@%§^»,.,. .,.,»^§%@£
#@£%$\~~.. ..~~\$%£@#
##@£&%=«:, ,:«=%&£@##
##££^*-^¨¨ ¨¨^-*^££##
@¤¤§^«,,., ,.,,«^§¤¤@