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