@..@@..... .........@
......@@@@ @@@@@@@@..
@@@@@..@@@ .@@@@@@..@
@@@@....@@ ..@@@@....
.@@..@@..@ ...@@..@@.
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # @@........
@@@@@@@@@. : 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. #&£#£§
§#¤§§¤ @¤£¤¤§¤@£¤
&¤£@@£¤§@§ £@£@¤§£@@£
##§@@¤@§¤@ ¤¤&@£§¤¤£§
#£#§£££### §&@&§¤¤¤§#
¤££§¤##&§£ §#££§#§&@@