&..&..&&.. .&....&&..
&&.&&.&.&. &&&...&.&.
&.&&.&&&&& &..&..&&&&
.&&.&&.... &&.&&.&...
.&.&&.&... &.&&.&&&..
.&&&.&&&.. # ==================== # .&&.&&..&.
.&..&&..&. : 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. &.§@¨#§£¤,
§..¤#@§§#, ,¤&.£#.¨,&
¨#,&,¨.,.§ .£.#£¨&,.&
§¤&&§,,,,& ¨@§¤.¤@@,¤
,¨,.¨§¨.,£ ¤£,¨§#.¨&£
£,¨¨,§¤¨¨& #¨¤.£¨£,£,