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