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