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