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