@¨¨@@¨@¨@¨ @@¨@@¨¨¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@¨¨@¨¨@@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@¨@@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@¨¨@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@¨@@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨@¨¨@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ / 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. ,¤.,@,¤¨£¨
@¨¤¨#.§¨§¨ ,£,¤#,§,§,
&,@.§,#¨§¨ ,#.,&,#,§¨
£¨#,@¨£.@, ,£.§§¨@.§.
¤.&,£,#¨&, ,£¨,&,£,&,
@,§¨#,¤,£¨ .#,£#.&.¤.