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