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