&&,,&,&&&, ,&&&&&,&,&
,&,&&&,,&& &,,,,&&&&,
&&&,,&,&,& &,,,&,,,&,
,,&,&&&&&, &,,&&,,&&&
,&&&,,,,&, &,&,&,&,,&
&,,&,,,&&& # ==================== # &&&&&&&,&&
&,&&,,&,,, * 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. ,¨,,,@.&.§
.&&¤@¨#¨., ¨¨..§##£@¨
£,,¨&@£.,¤ ¨.,£¨¨..§¨
&.,@,¨&.## ¨¨@¤,..#¤&
@¨#@,&¤#,# ,&¨#.¨§¨,¨
@§.¤@¨,@§¤ &§#@,£&,,@