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