&&,,&,,,&, ,&,,&&&,&&
,&,&&,,&&& &&,&,,&&,,
&&&,&,&,,& ,&&&,&,&,,
,,&&&&&,&& &,,&&&&&,&
,&,,,,&&,& &,&,,,,&&&
&&,,,&,&&& # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # &&&,,,&,,&
,&,,&&&,,, † 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. .§@,#,@@&,
.&&¤¨@§.#@ #.¤£¤£¨.¤@
#¨¨¤£¨@¤.¨ §@,,,#,£¨&
£¨§.@§,¤.& ,#,.&¤@££.
#£#§¨&&£¤¨ §#.#,¨.,§#
,,,#£..,#£ ¨£§&..,&..