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