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