¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~ ~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~† †~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†* *†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~†*£ £*†~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~†*£@ @£*†~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-~†*£@¶ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¶@£*†~-¨¨¨
¨¨-~†*£@¶# † 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. .,,,..¨,,.
,¨¨,,.¨,., ,.,¨.,,¨¨,
.,,.,,¨,.~ ~.,¨,,.,,.
.¨..,,¨¨:= =:¨¨,,..¨.
,,,¨¨.,,»/ /»,,.¨¨,,,
¨,,,..^=^% %^=^..,,,¨