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