§§..§§..§§ §.§§.§§..§
..§.§.§.§. .§§.§§.§.§
§.§§§§§§§§ §§.§§.§§§§
.§§....... ..§§.§§...
.§.§...... §.§.§§.§..
.§§§§..... # -------------------- # §§§§§.§§§.
.§...§.... / 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. .¨¨¨¨£.£¨¤
,,.§¨#,£¨¨ ..,..@§§§§
£.,@@&§§&¨ §.¨,,¤¨.¨.
#§,#.¨¨.¨@ §£,,.£@¨,¨
@.&@@,,.,# ¨¨£.¨§.@¨,
@@£¨¨@.,,@ ¨.##,§¤@¤,