&&&&&..... ..&.&&&.&.
....&..... .&&&..&&&&
...&&..... &..&.&...&
..&.&....& &.&&&&..&&
.&&&&...&& &&...&.&.&
&...&..&.& # ==================== # .&..&&&&&&
&..&&.&&&& / 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. ¨#§£,...¨£
§&¤#¨@..,& ¤.¨#.,¨,§.
,,¨#§£¨¨#¨ &.§¤.,.§&£
.,@¨.#,&£. @§¨¤.¨£.,#
¨#&¨£§¤.#¨ .&@¤.#§¨&@
&.££,¨@¤#, #.,¤#.£@¨§