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