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