&....&&.&. .&...&&&&&
&...&.&&&& &&..&.....
&..&&&.... .&.&&....&
&.&..&...& &&&.&...&.
&&&.&&..&& ..&&&..&&&
..&&.&.&.& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .&..&.&...
.&.&&&&&&& † 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. ,£#¨¨.§¨¨.
¨¨&,¨.,,§§ #¨§.¨#§.¨§
,§&,¨,¨@., §¤§¨§¨&.#£
¤¨#,,¨£&¨, ¨.&¤§#¤£¨¤
£&#,¨@¨§¨, ,£..¨.,@&¨
,,#.¤#¤¤¨, &¤,.¨,§,¤£