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