..@@..@... .........@
........@@ @@@@@@@@..
@@@@@@@... @@@@@@@..@
@@@@@@..@@ @@@@@@....
.@@@@..... @@@@@..@@.
..@@..@@@@ # -------------------- # @@@@......
@......@@. : 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. &@£@§&§¤&¤
¤¤#&§§#§¤# £&&§##@&@§
&&¤¤&@#¤§& §#@£¤#&¤@&
@££&@&¤@&£ §&¤§&£#£#&
@£&¤§##&££ ¤£&§&§¤£¤§
§#@¤£§&@## #@@##@§@@&