&&&¨¨&&¨¨& &¨&¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&&¨&¨&¨&& &¨&¨&¨¨&¨&
¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨& &¨&¨&¨&&¨&
¨&&¨&¨&¨&& &¨&¨&¨¨&¨&
¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨& &¨&¨&¨&&¨&
¨&&¨&¨&¨&& # ==================== # &¨&¨&¨¨&¨&
¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨& / 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. ¤.£¨£¨,#.§
,.¤.§,&.,& &.£,£,#§.§
,£&.#,§,£@ £¨£¨#¨¨#.§
..&,£.#¨.£ ¤.@,#.#&.£
,#¤¨@¨£.#§ £.@.#..£,&
¨,@¨£.£¨.# £,§¨£,§¤¨¤