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