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