&&¨&¨¨&¨¨& ¨¨&&¨&¨&¨¨
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ * 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. ¨&,@.&,&.@
¨@¨¤,.£,#. .§.£¨&,§.#
,¤¨@¨&@,#. .@,@¨@¨#.¤
,&,§.¨£,&¨ ¨&,§¨#,¤¨¤
.§¨£.§@,£. .£,£,¤¨&¨¤
¨£¨§¨,§.¤, .#¨¤¨@.@¨#