...&&&..&. ...&....&&
.&..&..... &&...&&...
......&&&. &..&....&&
.&&&&..&.. .....&&...
..&&.....& &&&&....&&
.....&&&.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &&&..&&...
&&&&..&..& ; 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. §@&¤£§§¤#¤
@&&§#¤@# @@£¤#§§§£&
#&&&¤#£§&@ #&§&@¤¤@@§
¤§&@§¤£&&¤ @¤@#¤@££@£
§@#¤£££&&§ &£££@£@£§¤
§¤§#§§#&@& ¤##&¤@§¤#@