¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,» ; 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. ,..¨.,..¨.
¨.¨,.¨¨,., ,.,¨¨.,¨.¨
.,¨.¨..¨¨. .¨¨..¨.¨,.
,,,.,.¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨.,.,,,
.¨.,..,¨,, ,,¨,..,.¨.
¨,.¨.,.¨¨. .¨¨.,.¨.,¨