,,,,,,,,,, #,,,,,,,#,
########## ,,#####,,,
,########, #,,###,,#,
,,######,, ,,,,#,,,,,
#,,####,,# ,##,,,####
,,,,##,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,#,,###
,##,,,,### = 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. ¨.,¨,&&,¨&
§#@.,#&¤&. #&£§.¨.¨¨¨
.&¨¨¨¨@#¨. ,#£¨.¤@@¤,
,,.@#..,.@ .¨.¨¨.£¤,,
¤£..,,£¤.. .££¤§..¨.@
¤¨,¤¤¨,.,, ,,§@¨,&¤¨.