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