......###. #........#
.####..#.. ..######..
..##...... #..####..#
.....##### ....##....
####..###. ###....###
###....#.. # «««««««««««««««««««« # ##..##..##
##..##.... ^ 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. ¤&&£§#&§£@
#¤&§§##££¤ £&&¤#@§&@&
£§¤§#£@¤¤@ £§¤#¤#¤£
#@¤£§§#¤#& &¤@¤¤&§#§&
@¤§#¤£§#§@ ¤§§£@§&@
@#£@&@#£#£ &&¤#£¤@¤&&