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