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