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