.&&&&..... ..........
..&&..&&&& .&&&&&&&&&
.......&&& ..&&&&&&&.
&&&&&&..&& &..&&&&&..
.&&&&....& ....&&&...
..&&..&&.. # -------------------- # .&&..&..&&
.......... ^ 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. &§¤&&@¤#¤@
£§¤¤£¤£@@& #&&§@£§@¤&
£@¤#&&£& @#@££&&£§@
£¤&£#£@£@£ ¤§¤¤&§¤&@@
§§§@£&£@§¤ £¤&§##@#@@
§@§&&¤¤@£@ @#£§@@@§¤&