¤.¤..¤.¤¤. ....¤¤..¤.
¤¤¤¤.¤¤¤.¤ ¤...¤.¤.¤¤
....¤¤..¤¤ .¤..¤¤¤¤¤.
....¤.¤.¤. .¤¤.¤....¤
¤...¤¤¤¤¤¤ .¤.¤¤¤...¤
.¤..¤..... # ==================== # .¤¤¤..¤..¤
¤¤¤.¤¤.... ^ 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. ,¤@.£¤&,§&
@.¨§,@@§,, #@.££..@#,
@#.@£¤..@, ,.&§.£¨¤.£
¨,&@.,#¨§& @¨¤¨&@£¤
@,¤,&.¤¤&¨ §¤§¤¤,.,¨¨
@§§@¤£&..# &.¨,¨&..¨.