¤.¤¤¤¤.¤¤. ¤¤..¤.¤¤¤.
¤¤¤...¤¤.¤ ¤.¤.¤¤¤..¤
...¤..¤.¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤..¤.¤
¤..¤¤.¤¤¤. ¤....¤.¤¤¤
.¤.¤.¤¤..¤ ¤¤...¤¤¤..
.¤¤¤¤¤.¤.¤ # -------------------- # ..¤..¤..¤.
.¤....¤¤¤¤ † 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£&EXACTLYHOW&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. .&@.§¤,#@¨
£,.#.¨&§,¨ ¤&.¤#,.&
.£,¤¤¨£.@¨ @,§&,@&¨¤¤
¤#£&¨§&¤§# @¤&¨##.#¤¨
£,¨.##,.¨¨ ¨¨,@¤.§¤.¤
.£.¨§¨§¨,, §,¨§¨§@¨£@