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