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