¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^* *^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«^*§ §*^«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«^*§§ §§*^«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«^*§§# #§§*^«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«^*§§## ##§§*^«^¨¨
¨^«^*§§### # «««««««««««««««««««« # ###§§*^«^¨
¨¨^«^*§§## ^ 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. ,¨¨,¨,¨,¨,
,,.,.,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,.,.,,
,¨,¨,.,,.¨ ¨.,,.,¨,¨,
..,,.,,¨., ,.¨,,.,,..
.¨,¨¨¨.,,. .,,.¨¨¨,¨.
,,,...,,¨, ,¨,,...,,,