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