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