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