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