..£....££. £££.££..£.
...£...££. £.£.£££..£
£...£..££. ....£.££..
.£...£.£££ ......£££.
..£....£.£ ......£.££
£..£.....£ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ........££
££..£....£ ; 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. ¨.,,¨¨,,¨,
§,&@¨¨@.¨, £.,,.¨.,¨¨
.¨##£,¨£., §£.¨¨¨...¨
.¨£.¤§¨,&, ¤##,,¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨,&@@,¨@ @.¤&¨,¨.¨¨
,¨,.¤.@£.¨ .¨@@&¨,¨¨.