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