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