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