&¨&¨&&&&¨& &¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨
&&&&¨¨¨&&& &&¨&¨¨&&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨&&&¨&¨&&¨
¨¨&&¨&&¨¨¨ &¨¨&&&&¨&¨
¨&¨&&¨&¨¨¨ &¨&¨¨¨&&&¨
&&&¨&&&¨¨¨ # -------------------- # &&&¨¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨& \ 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. ,#§£¨@¤,¨£
##&#@,@#.. £,¨¤§,@,£#
...¨##¨£.. £.#,£§@&,¨
..¨#.§£#¨& #¤#£¨¨.¤,¨
..&§£,,¤&¨ ¨¨.£¨.#§..
,£.¨@¨#.#¨ ¨,§§,&,@¨,