#,,,,,,,,, ,,#,,,,,,#
,,######## #,,,####,,
#,,####### ,,#,,##,,#
,,,,###### ,,,,,,,,,,
###,,##### ##########
##,,,,#### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,#########
#,,##,,### ; 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. ¤§¤§§¤@&§#
££&@&£@&§£ §¤@&@§¤£¤§
¤££¤£&££#£ ¤£¤£&@#£§¤
#§#&¤£&£#£ £§#@##¤¤¤§
#@£#§#&& £&§¤¤§¤§
¤§@§&@&¤&@ ¤£&¤&@#§¤&