=:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:=
£=:~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~:=£
@£=:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:=£@
@@£=:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:=£@@
#@@£=:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:=£@@#
##@@£=:~,¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨,~:=£@@##
#@@£=:~,¨¨ : 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. ,,..¨.,.¨-
=~,,,,.¨,. .,¨.,,,,~=
†»,.¨¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨¨.,»†
^†~,,¨¨.,. .,.¨¨,,~†^
£*/~-.¨..¨ ¨..¨.-~/*£
£%†^~,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,~^†%£