¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/ /»-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-» »-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- / 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. *=~^,¨¨,.¨
¨...,:«\*@ @*\«:,...¨
..,¨.=\†&# #&†\=.¨,..
.¨¨^=/$¤§@ @§¤$/=^¨¨.
¨¨~«\%%&@# #@&%%\«~¨¨
¨^-==£#### ####£==-^¨