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