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