.......... ......#...
########## #####...##
########## ####..#..#
########## ###.......
.######### ##..#####.
..#######. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #....###..
#..#####.. \ 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. ¨¨¤£¤¤£&.¨
¨@¤¨,¤§@#¨ §.¨#&&@,..
,.¨,,¨@#,. ¨.,¨£@.¨&£
,£&£&¨.,,£ ,&&¨¨,¨,..
.¨@@¨.§&¨¨ ..¨¨¤££¤§@
,¨,.,¨.,.& ¨££¨,@¤£@¨