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