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