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