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