....@@..@@ @.@..@@.@.
...@.@.@.@ @.@.@.@.@.
..@@.@.@.. @.@.@.@.@.
.@.@.@.@.@ @.@.@.@.@.
@@.@.@.@.@ @.@.@.@.@.
.@.@.@.@.@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @.@.@.@.@.
@@.@.@.@.@ = 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. §.&.#,¤¨#¨
&&.#.#¨§,¤ @¨&.&¨@,#,
¨&,@.¤¨#,£ £,#.&¨#¨£,
£@,@.@.¤.# @¨¤,¤¨&.&¨
,#¨§.@,@¨£ ¤,¤¨@¨#.#¨
££.#¨#.£.¤ £¨§¨¤¨#.£,