.£..£..... .....£....
......££££ ££££...£££
.££££..£££ £££..£..£.
..££....££ ££........
£....££..£ £..£££££££
..££...... # -------------------- # ....££££££
.....££££. † 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. &§§&@§###&
¤§¤@&# £@#£&¤@@¤@
#¤£&£#¤§@@ §§§£§@¤££@
¤#@¤&§#¤ §@¤#&§¤&§¤
¤#@¤£@#£@¤ £§#£#&
@#&§§#£@¤§ @£§&@£&§#¤