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