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