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