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