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