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