¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»† †»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:» »:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»† †»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:»†* *†»:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:»†** **†»:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:»†**# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #**†»:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:»†**## † 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, @¤$**»~¨¨.
¨,¨¨^~=$£¤ ¤£$=~^¨¨,¨
¨.,..,=†§§ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. §§†=,..,.¨
.¨,,¨.,»^= NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. =^»,.¨,,¨.
,¨,¨.¨¨,~* *~,¨¨.¨,¨,
.,,.,.¨¨-» »-¨¨.,.,,.
.¨¨.¨¨¨,~* *~,¨¨¨.¨¨.
,¨,¨¨,:=†$ $†=:,¨¨,¨,
,¨,,¨:»;§¤ ¤§;»:¨,,¨,