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