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