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