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