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