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