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