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