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