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