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