¨¨¨¨¨¨~»=% %=»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»=%¤ ¤%=»~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»=%¤@ @¤%=»~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~»=%¤@# #@¤%=»~¨¨¨
¨¨~»=%¤@#@ @#@¤%=»~¨¨
¨~»=%¤@#@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@#@¤%=»~¨
~»=%¤@#@## = 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. @@@%^~.¨.,
,¨,.,»=†§¤ ¤§†=»,.,¨,
,,¨...«=†% %†=«...¨,,
¨¨....,==* *==,....¨¨
,¨¨.¨¨,,=† †=,,¨¨.¨¨,
¨,,.¨,.,^~ ~^,.,¨.,,¨