,,&&,&&,&& ,&,,,&&,&&
,&,&,,&,,& ,&,,&,&,,&
,&,&,&&,&& ,&,&&,&,&&
,&,&,,&,,& ,&,,&,&,,&
,&,&,&&,&& ,&,&&,&,&&
,&,&,,&,,& # -------------------- # ,&,,&,&,,&
,&,&,&&,&& ^ 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. ,&,.¤.§¨¨#
.£¨§,¤#¨&& ¨#¨@¤.£¨&§
¨#,¤.,@.¨¤ .£¨.@¨@.,¤
,@¨#.¤£.§# ,§,§£,¤¨@¤
¨§.§¨,¤¨.# ¨£,.&,&.¨#
,@.&,#¤.£§ .¤.£&¨¤.§¤