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