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