¨¨¨¨¨¨-==§ §==-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-== ==-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-= =-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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. ~..,.,..¨¨
¨¨,,¨.,¨.. ..¨,.¨,,¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,,¨¨¨¨
,.¨....,¨, ,¨,....¨.,
.¨,¨,,,,¨, ,¨,,,,¨,¨.
,¨..,.¨,,. .,,¨.,..¨,