.&....&&.. .&........
..&...&&&. ..&.......
...&..&.&& &..&......
....&...&& .&..&.....
.....&..&. ..&..&....
......&... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # &..&..&...
.......&.. = 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. §,.@.¨¤,
,,,¨,.,,,& @,¤§.¨¤,,#
¤,,,,¨,.,, .,§@§,.§..
.&,¨...,¨¨ ..£.&¤¨.#.
¨¨&..,.,,, .¨¨.&,.@
&¨,§,,.¨,. @,.,#.@¤¨¨