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