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