.@..@@.@@. @@.@@@....
..@.@@.@@. .@.@.@@...
....@@.@@@ .....@@@..
....@@.@.@ .....@.@@.
....@@...@ .......@@@
@...@@@..@ # ==================== # .......@.@
@@..@.@@.. ^ 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. ¤.¨,.,,.¨£
¨£§§.,&.&§ ¨@,.¨,.,.,
,£,#&.¨.£@ .¨¤¨¨,.,.¨
¨¨,¤@&..¤, #¨¨@,.,,¨.
,.¨¤,##¨., ##..@...,¨
,.¨.¨¤¤£.. ,##..£.,¨.