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