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