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