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