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