&,,&&,,,&& ,,,,,,&,,&
,,,,,,&,,, ,&&&&,,,,,
&&&&&,,,&& ,,&&,,&&&&
&&&&,,&,,, &,,,,,,&&&
&&&,,,,,&& ,,&&&&,,&&
&&,,&&&,,& # -------------------- # ,,,&&,,,,&
&,,,,&,,,, † 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. @§@@@§§¤£¤
&§#¤&¤§@¤& &#§#£¤#¤
¤¤£@&§@@ ¤£¤££§&¤¤§
&@#@#§£¤£& ¤§¤¤##§¤
&@¤&¤##¤§& @&££@@£§§&
@¤§@§£¤#¤@ ¤@@@£&§£§#