....¤..... .¤....¤¤¤.
¤¤¤...¤¤¤. ...¤¤..¤..
.¤..¤..¤.. .¤........
.......... ...¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
.¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤..¤¤¤¤¤.
..¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¤....¤¤¤..
¤..¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ^ 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. §@§#&@¤@@#
&¤@§#£#@£@ §@&¤¤§##¤§
£#@£¤#&§#& ¤£¤§¤@¤##@
&@§§#@#¤ ##¤&@£##¤¤
£#&&§&&§§£ ¤§¤@#&&&@&
¤¤@§£¤¤§@# &&&@§£&@££