¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ 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. ,..,~†§%§#
¤£§†=^,¨., ,.¨,^=†§£¤
%$;~.¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨.~;$%
*\»,,.¨..¨ ¨..¨.,,»\*
=«:.,¨,¨.. ..¨,¨,.:«=
-^,¨,.¨.¨. .¨.¨.,¨,^-