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