..@....... ....@@@@@@
....@@@@@@ .@@..@@@@.
@@@..@@@@@ ......@@..
.@....@@@@ @@@@@.....
...@@..@@@ @@@@..@@@@
.@......@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @@@....@@.
...@@@@..@ ^ 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. ££¤@¤#&¤£@
¤¤@#@¤£§@§ £@¤£¤#¤£&@
&§#£@#¤¤#£ §¤#§@&§&¤&
¤§¤£¤#£§@¤ ¤@£@§¤£&&¤
#§@#£@£¤ £#@¤@§¤¤§&
##&§&#§@ @@§&¤#¤§&@