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