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