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