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