§§,,,,,,,, ,,,§§,,,,,
,,,§§§§§§§ §§,,,,§§§,
§§,,§§§§§§ §,,§§,,§,,
,,,,,§§§§, ,,,,,,,,,,
§§§§,,§§,, ,§§§§§§§§§
§§§,,,,,,§ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,§§§§§§§§
§§,,§§§§,, * 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. #&¤§@##@¤§
£§###¤@£#@ #¤¤¤&¤£¤#@
&&&&¤¤@&§@ ¤&£#@#£&§&
@@£#&&§¤ ¤¤#¤§#
@&@¤##@¤## @@§§£¤¤&§&
#¤§@&§¤§£# @@¤§#@¤£