...&..&... .&&&&.....
&&......&& ..&&..&&&&
&..&&&&..& &......&&&
....&&.... ..&&&&..&&
.&&....&&& ...&&.....
....&&..&& # «««««««««««««««««««« # &&....&&&&
.&&......& * 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. §§#@&&§#
¤¤@¤§@§§@& &§#@¤£#§&&
@&£##&¤¤## §&&&£§&§£&
§¤£##¤&£¤§ @@§@£@¤#
£&@§#@¤££# #£@£##¤&
@¤££&&¤@@¤ &§@¤&&&¤#¤