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