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