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