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