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