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