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