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