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