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