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