§,,§§§,,,, ,,§§§,,,,§
,,,,§,,§§, §,,§,,§§,,
§§§,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,§
§§,,§§§§§, ,§§§§§§§,,
,,,,,§§§,, ,,§§§§§,,,
§§§§,,§,,, # -------------------- # ,,,§§§,,§§
§§§,,,,,§§ * 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. &£#£@£&@£&
#&¤¤@&¤#£§ ¤§#¤&££¤@&
££§#¤£&#@§ &&£@¤&£#§#
¤£¤&£¤@¤@# §££@§@#¤§£
£@¤##&££&§ @¤¤¤§&@@&§
§@§£§&§&&& @£§@&##¤§£