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