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