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