,,,,,,&&,& &&,,&,,,,,
,,,,,,&&,, &&&,,&,,,,
,,,,,,&&&, &,&&,,&,,,
,,,,,,&,&& ,,&&&,,&,,
,,,,,,,,&& ,,&,&&,,&,
,,,,,,,,&& # «««««««««««««««««««« # &,,,&&&,,&
&,,,,,,,&, ; 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. .¤&...¤£#,
¨¨&¨..,¨,, ¨£&@¨.¤,¤§
¤,.¤..,¨¨. ¨#,§@,.,#&
##,,¤,.¨.. ¨¨.¤££.,§.
§#£..§¨..¨ ,,,@,¤&,..
£,@#¨,§,,¨ ¨¨¨..@§#,,