¨¨¨¨#¨¨##¨ ##¨¨¨#¨##¨
¨¨¨¨¨#¨##¨ ¨##¨¨¨¨###
#¨¨¨¨¨¨##¨ ¨###¨¨¨#¨#
##¨¨¨¨¨### ¨#¨##¨¨¨¨#
¨##¨¨¨¨#¨# ¨¨¨###¨¨¨#
¨###¨¨¨¨¨# # ==================== # ¨¨¨#¨##¨¨¨
¨#¨##¨¨¨¨# ; 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. ,.,.,£.@@,
¨..@¨@£.¨¤ §.¨.¨.,¤£&
§,¨¨¨£§&¨¨ ££..,¨,#¨§
§&,¨,§.£@, @@£.,.¨¨.¤
,@@..¨,£¤& #.¤§,¨¨..#
,§&&,¨¨£¨& ,¨@§¤,.¨¨,