,,&&&,,,,, &&&&&&&&,,
&,,&,,&&&& &&&&&&&,,&
,,,,,,,&&, ,&&&&&,,,,
&&&&&&,,,, ,,&&&,,&&&
&&&&&,,&&& &,,&,,,,&&
&&&&,,,,&& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,&&,,&
&&&,,&&,,, / 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. &§¤£@§¤¤@&
@§@£¤@§£££ §###§£¤¤¤£
§§¤#§£§#£# &&§#&&&&
§&&¤@¤ ¤&&£¤&§@£§
§@¤§###£&§ £&¤#§¤&&§¤
#&&§@@¤&&¤ @¤@¤¤§&£¤&