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