¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~/ /~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~/† †/~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~/†% %†/~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~/†%¤ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¤%†/~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~/†%¤# / 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. ~:¨,¨¨,.,¨
,...,,¨¨¨: :¨¨¨,,...,
.,,,¨.¨¨.. ..¨¨.¨,,,.
¨...¨¨..¨, ,¨..¨¨...¨
,.¨,,...~- -~...,,¨.,
,¨¨,,.¨,-= =-,¨.,,¨¨,