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