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