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