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