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