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