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