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