.........@ @@....@@@.
@@@@@@@@.. ...@@..@..
.@@@@@@..@ @@........
..@@@@.... ...@@@@@@@
...@@..@@@ @@..@@@@@.
@@......@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @....@@@..
...@@@@... ; 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. .,.£&&.¨¨¨
@¨¨§£@,¨¨. @¤,,£,.##§
,¨.¨¤¨,§ .¨.,¨¨,.§&
.£¤,.¨..¤£ £§¤@¤@£,.,
,.,,&§§,¨¨ .¤@¤§§,,#£
.@£¨¨#..&§ .,§¤¤...,,