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