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