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