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