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