,#,#,#,#,# ,#,,,##,,#
,#,#,#,#,# ,#,,#,#,##
,#,#,#,#,# ,#,##,#,,#
,#,#,#,#,# ,#,,#,#,##
,#,#,#,#,# ,#,##,#,,#
,#,#,#,#,# # -------------------- # ,#,,#,#,##
,#,#,#,#,# * 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. .£.,£,§¨¤¤
.&¨#.#.§.# ,@,¤@,&,¨@
,@,£¨£¨&¨¤ ¨¤¨.&.#.§§
.#¨§,@¨£,£ .&,##.#.,£
¨&.§,#¨§,# .¤..&¨&,@@
¨¤.#.£¨@,# .@.&&.¤.,§