.#..##.#.# #....##..#
..#.##...# ##...###..
....###..# ###..#.##.
....#.##.. #.##...###
#.....###. ..###..#.#
##....#.## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..#.##...#
.##.....## * 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. §¨..£¨§¤¨,
,£.§£¨¨¨£. ,@,¨..§&&¨
,¨¨§&§.,., .¨#.,.§¨¤@
@¨.&,&¤¨.. ,,,&,..,&§
#&,,.£@@,¨ ¤.¨.@,¨,&,
£§&.,¤¨&§. ,¤,,.¤,,,.