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