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