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