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