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