.§§§..§§.. ..§§....§.
.§.§§.§§§. ..§§§....§
...§§.§.§§ §.§.§§....
...§§...§§ ....§§§...
...§§§..§. ....§.§§..
...§.§§... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # §.....§§§.
.....§§§.. ; 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. .#£...¨¨£#
£&,.¨.,@#& ,@¤¤.¨¨.£¨
&§@¨,,.#¨& .§.£¤¨.¨,¨
¤¨#§¨,,.,§ .,¨§£§..,¨
,.§#¤¨..¨@ #.¨#.#&.¨.
¨,@.££.¨.¨ @¤¨.,¤#@..