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