.......@@. ..@@@.....
@@@@@@.... @..@..@@@@
@@@@@..@@@ .......@@@
@@@@....@@ @@@@@@..@@
@@@..@@..@ .@@@@....@
@@........ # ==================== # ..@@..@@..
...@@@@@@@ † 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. §&¤@§§¤@§¤
¤@&£@@¤£§# §££@##§@
&&@@#&¤@@¤ @&£¤£##¤
#@#@£¤£& &&§@@§@£§&
¤&¤¤§¤¤¤¤# §¤¤&§#£&
&@¤¤£&#£ @§&@¤@¤&¤£