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