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