,,§§§§§§§§ ,,,§§§§,,,
§,,§§§§§§, §§,,§§,,§§
,,,,§§§§,, §,,,,,,,,§
,§§,,§§,,§ ,,§§§§§§,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,§§§§,,§
,§§§§§§§§§ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # §§,,§§,,,,
,,§§§§§§§§ / 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. &£§£@##@&¤
#£@££&&@ §@&¤#§¤#¤@
§#&¤@#&&£§ ¤@§@¤£¤¤
¤@§¤§¤££££ ¤#&&¤#@#&&
#&£¤£&£§§¤ &¤##@&£#&&
&§¤@&@@#@@ #§@@¤§¤&££