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