,@,,@@@,,, ,@,@@,,@,@
@@,@,,@,,, @@@,@,@@@@
,@@@,@@,,@ ,,@@@@,,,,
@,,@@,@,@, ,@,,,@,,,,
@,@,@@@@@, @@,,@@,,,@
@@@@,,,,@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,@,@,@,,@,
,,,@,,,@,@ \ 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. ,,.¨,&¤.,§
¨¤.¤.£¨... ¨.¨,#,£.¤@
¤###&£.,,, ¨,.&&@£¤¨§
,¨...#¨,,, .,§¨¨.¨§§.
,,,¨#&,,¨§ .¤#.¨.&¨&.
,¨¨§,&..¤, #,&¨.£#£¤.