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