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