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