¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. ¨¨¨¨.,¨.¨¨
¨.,,,¨,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,¨,,,.¨
,¨...¨,... ...,¨...¨,
-^.,,¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨,,.^-
*~^,¨¨..., ,...¨¨,^~*
£§~.,¨..,¨ ¨,..¨,.~§£