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