##,#,,,#,# ,###,,#,,,
,###,,#### #,,#,##,,#
#,,#,#,,,# #,###,#,##
#,####,,#, ##,,####,,
##,,,#,### ,#,#,,,#,#
,#,,###,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ####,,###,
##,#,,#,,, * 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. ,,§§&¤.§¤&
§.,#@¨§,.£ ,@¨..@#¨,#
#¨&¨£¤§,@. §#,¨#¨£¨£,
@£##,,£#§& .§¨&@£§£¤§
,,.@,@¨,,@ &£@¨¨,,¨,.
¨¨§@&#¨¨@§ .¨@¨,,,.,.