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