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