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