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