¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&&&&&&&&& &¨¨¨¨&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& ¨¨&&¨¨&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&¨¨&&
&&&&&&&&&¨ # ==================== # ¨&&&&¨¨¨¨&
&&&&&&&&¨¨ \ 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. #§£&&&@@@&
###@&@§@&& £#&¤£¤#¤
¤#£§§§¤£&£ ¤@@@#§@£#§
¤&¤@&§#§&¤ @&£§¤##££@
#¤#¤#@##£# §@@§¤&§@@#
£#¤##&§@ ¤@&@§§¤¤@¤