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