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