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