@.@@@@.@.. .@.@@@.@@.
@@@...@@@. @@@@..@@.@
...@..@..@ @...@.@.@@
@..@@.@@.@ .@..@@@@@.
@@.@.@@.@@ @@@.@....@
..@@@@.@@. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ...@@@...@
@.@...@@.@ * 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. ¨§.¤#.§#,@
&#.¨¤¨££&. £&£@.§@¨£&
.¨&.&££.,§ ¤.¨,&§,#§.
..#&#..¤¨¤ ,§¨.&.&£,§
&.&¨,@,££¤ &#£,&@#¨£&
¨§§&.¤&#¨. @,,&§¨,#@,