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