.@..@.@@@@ ........@@
@@@.@@@... ........@.
@..@@..@.. ........@@
.@.@.@.@@. @.......@.
.@@@@@@@.@ @@......@@
@@......@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..@.....@.
@.@.....@. * 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# ,.,§¨@¨.@&
£.,§.@..§. #%OFEXACTLY£#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. §¨#,#.¨,¤¨
¨§¨¨£,.¨@. @&££¤¤,,£¤
§¨##¨¨§& §¨¨,,¨&¨@.
#¨.¤£,&.¤¨ ,#¨.,¨¤££&
¨&¨@,¤@¤¤# ,£§.¨,§,¨,
¨&&@¨... @§,@,.&§..