§§...§§§.. .........§
.§§..§.§§. .........§
.§§§...§§§ §.........
.§.§§..§.§ §§........
...§§§...§ .§§.......
...§.§§..§ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .§§§......
.....§§§.. ; 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. ¨.,&§¤..¨.
.,¨¨,¨¨@&# ¤¨.@.#¤,..
.,,¨.,.£.@ @#,.¨§§#¨,
,,¨¨¨,.¨,@ #££,¨@.#£¨
,..¨,,,¨¨# #.@@,¨.&&&
§.,¨¨,,¨¨, ..¤§&..§.¤