,,,,,,,,,# ,,###,,,,#
,#######,, #,,#,,##,,
,,#####,,# ,,,,,,,,,#
,,,###,,,, ########,,
##,,#,,##, ,######,,#
#,,,,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,####,,,,
,,#######, † 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. &@£@¤§#@¤¤
£&¤£¤£££ §&¤£&§#£
¤@@#§§£@@£ &¤§&£¤§#
§£#@£§@&@£ £&@@&&@&
£#¤#&¤#§&§ &§§@§§@&@¤
§¤£#§#¤¤ ££#@¤&§¤