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