.¤¤¤¤¤.¤.¤ .¤.¤..¤..¤
..¤¤¤¤.¤.. ¤¤.¤.¤¤.¤¤
.¤.¤¤¤.¤.¤ .¤.¤..¤..¤
.¤..¤¤.¤.. ¤¤.¤.¤¤.¤¤
.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤ .¤.¤..¤..¤
.¤.¤.¤.¤.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¤¤.¤.¤¤.¤¤
.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤ : 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. §@.&.#§¨£§
,@.@,§.@,# .#,#,¨§,¨#
,#.£¨#.@.. ¤&¨§.#£.£§
¨¤,&,§,£.& ,§.@¨,#.,¤
¨£.#,§.£¨¨ §@¨£,£¤.
,§,£.&,@,§ ¨#,§,,#¨.@