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