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