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