.&&&&&..&. &.&&..&&&.
&.&&&&.&&. &..&.&.&&.
&..&&&..&. &.&&.&..&.
&.&.&&.&&. &..&.&.&&.
&.&..&..&. &.&&.&..&.
&.&.&&.&&. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &..&.&.&&.
&.&..&..&. ; 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. &.,§¨&.&@,
¤¨&¨¨@.¨£¨ &¨&£.¤¨¨@.
£,#,#&.£§, £¨¨§,#.&£,
§¨#..@,.£, #.#§,¤,,¤.
&,&.&£,#&. @.¨¤.&¨@§.
@,&¨.¤,.£. #,££¨£¨,¤,