¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-» # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # »-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»† † 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. =\«^¨.¨¨..
.,...¨..«* *«..¨...,.
.,,¨,,¨,-« «-,¨,,¨,,.
¨¨¨.,,.,¨, ,¨,.,,.¨¨¨
¨¨,,..,..¨ ¨..,..,,¨¨
,¨,..¨¨.,. .,.¨¨..,¨,