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