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