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