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