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