&,,,,,,&,& ,,,,,,,,,,
,&,,,,,,,& ,,,,,,,,,,
,,&,,,,,,& ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,&,,,,,& &,,,,,,,,,
,,,,&,,,,& ,&,,,,,,,,
,,,,,&,,,, # -------------------- # ,,&,,,,,,,
,,,,,,&,,, / 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. ,¨.¨¤..¨,¨
¨,,¨.,,,£. &¨¨.,#.,,¨
¨,,.¨...¨£ .§¨,.¨§,¨.
,...¨¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨§,.,,&,.
¨¨.,¨.¨.¨, ..¨£,.¨¨#.
..,,.¨.,.. ¤..¨§¨,,.&