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