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