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