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