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