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