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