¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»
*»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»*
†*»~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~»*†
$†*»~¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨~»*†$
&$†*»~¨¨¨¨ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¨¨¨¨~»*†$&
#&$†*»~¨¨¨ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ¨¨¨~»*†$&#
##&$†*»~¨¨ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ¨¨~»*†$&##
###&$†*»~¨ * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ¨~»*†$&###
##&$†*»~¨¨ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ¨¨~»*†$&##
#&$†*»~¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨~»*†$&#
&$†*»~¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨~»*†$&
$†*»~¨¨¨¨¨ * AT ALL... * ¨¨¨¨¨~»*†$
†*»~¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨~»*†
=«:,,¨..¨, ,¨..¨,,:«=
»:¨,,,,¨¨¨ 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. ...¨¨..¨¨-
¨.....¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨.....¨
..¨¨.¨.,¨. .¨,.¨.¨¨..
¨,¨.,,.¨.. ..¨.,,.¨,¨
.¨,,¨,,,,¨ ¨,,,,¨,,¨.
,¨.,,¨.,¨, ,¨,.¨,,.¨,