.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ,,¨-«:%§#£
#@&$^*«:.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..:«*^$&@#
##¶@%*†=~¨ ¨~=†*%@¶##
##§%§^«:.¨ ¨.:«^§%§##
£#%%;«:.,, ,,.:«;%%#£
§%*;=:¨.., ,..¨:=;*%§
¤*/-^,¨,,. .,,¨,^-/*¤