&......... ...&&&&...
..&&&&&&&. .&..&&..&.
&..&&&&&.. ..........
....&&&..& .&&&&&&&&.
&&&..&.... ..&&&&&&..
.&.....&&. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ...&&&&...
...&&&.... \ 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. £#¤££§§#§§
#£#@§¤@&§# @@¤&&&&&£§
@§¤@¤@&&§& @£¤&@@@§§§
¤¤@&§@§# ¤¤¤¤##¤@£§
£@&£#£#§@§ @¤£#&£#@&§
§§§&&§#§¤¤ &£&§¤#@¤