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