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