#...####.. #.#..###..
##..#...#. .###.#..#.
#.#.##..## ##..###.##
.####.#.#. ..#.#..##.
.#...##### ..####.#.#
###..#.... # -------------------- # ..#...####
...#.##... \ 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. .&@.§,&§¨.
¨,.§,¨&#¤¨ ¤&,£§&&¨&,
.¨¨&@¨#,,¤ .¨@§.,.£#£
&,.£.#£&¨& §,@,£¨.§.¨
§§¨#@§..¤& ##£££&¨§@,
§.£§.,&.£. ,¨.¨,,#@¨£