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