¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~= = 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. *\=^,¨,,¨.
¨,,.¨,¨,=* *=,¨,¨.,,¨
¨¨,¨,,..,~ ~,..,,¨,¨¨
.,,¨..,..~ ~..,..¨,,.
,,¨¨¨.¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨.¨¨¨,,
,¨,..,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,..,¨,