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