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