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