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