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