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