...&.&.&.. ..&&&&...&
..&&&&&&.& .&...&..&&
.&.....&&& &&..&&.&.&
&&....&... .&.&.&&&&&
.&...&&..& &&&&&.....
&&..&.&.&& # ==================== # ....&.....
.&.&&&&&.. * 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£§EXACTLYHOW&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. ¨,&,§,..#&
,.£¨¨¨£&.¨ .§§&¤,.#,,
¨@#.¨§.¤,& §.¨¨#.§#¨,
&,@¨§&£@£§ &..@£&¨§..
&£§#¨¨,¨.. §,£,,#&@,@
,,,¤..,,.. &§@¨@.,£@.