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