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