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