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