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