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