,,,,,&&,,& &,&,&&&,&&
&,,,,&,&,& ,&&&&,,&&,
&&,,,&&&&& &&,,,&,&,&
,,&,,&,,,, ,,&,,&&&&&
&,&&,&&,,, &,&&,&,,,,
&&&,&&,&,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,&&,&&&,,,
&,,&&,&&&, † 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. £&§@.#¨##,
§.£&£#.¤¨@ ¤..,#¤¤#¨¤
,¤@,,.££#§ #£,¨§.,,#&
¤&.#.¨&,¨. ..@¨@§.,&.
@.§@¤,&¤¨¨ &,§##,&¨#¤
,£@,.@£¨§, @££.,#££#.