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