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