¨¨¨¨¨¨~«** **«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«* *«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~« «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ * 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$#EXACTLY&#HOW¤THEY¤HAD@TRAVELED,%# ,,¨¨..,,,.
¨.,,,,..¨, #&OF#THE¶WAY@HOME@#TO#THE#TIME@FROM@# ,¨..,,,,.¨
,¨,.,,¨.¨¨ #@WHERE#THEY@CAME,#####@@AND#THEN@@#@ ¨¨.¨,,.,¨,
¨¨..,,,¨¨. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE\~ .¨¨,,,..¨¨
,.,¨.¨.¨,, ~~BEING = STOLEN -= FROM =«~ THEM. . ,,¨.¨.¨,.,
,¨,¨.¨.¨:= ~» , »~- . -, -» ~ =:¨.¨.¨,¨,
,¨,,,¨,.«; : .: : , ;«.,¨,,,¨,
.,.¨..-~=% . ¨ ¨ § %=~-..¨.,.
,,,¨,,=/$£ £$/=,,¨,,,
,..¨:-=§%& ,#. &%§=-:¨..,
,.¨,=††&#¶ ¶#&††=,¨.,
.¨.-=%@¤@# AND, #@¤@%=-.¨.
.,«^=%£### ###£%=^«,.
¨¨.=\%§&## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##&§%\=.¨¨
,,.^-;%¤§£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £§¤%;-^.,,
¨¨.,,«*†££ ££†*«,,.¨¨
.¨,.¨~=^^$ $^^=~¨.,¨.
,¨,¨¨.,~\† †\~,.¨¨,¨,
¨...,,,,~^ ^~,,,,...¨
,.,.¨,,,,- -,,,,¨.,.,