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