&..&...&.& .&..&&....
.&..&....& ..&.&&&...
..&..&...& &...&.&&..
...&..&... &&....&&&.
....&..&.. .&&...&.&&
&....&..&. # -------------------- # .&&&....&&
&&....&..& ^ 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. .¨¨¤#@,¨,.
@¨¤§¨¨.¨§, .¨¨&.@#¨,,
,¨#@§.¨¨,§ ,,,¨.@£@,.
..¤,&£¨,¨¨ ¨¨¨.,&¨£@,
¨¨,¨§¤&,.. £.,¨.¨.@&§
@¨,,§.&¤.. &§.¨,.,@.@