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