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