@@...@@@.@ @@@@@.@@@@
..@..@..@@ @....@@...
..@@.@@.@. .@...@.@..
..@.@@.@@@ .@@..@@@@.
..@@@.@@.. .@.@.@...@
@.@..@@.@. # -------------------- # @@@@@@@..@
.@@@.@.@@@ † 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. §§,.¨.¨§@¤
¨.&.#¨.,@, .¨@¨¨¨¨§¨¨
..§§§§,.££ ¨,@@.,,¤¤,
¨,&¨¨¨#¨¤¨ .,@,§¨.&¨£
§.#£¨,#&¤& §,#¤§#¨##@
¨@§¨¤,§,.. &&#.,¨#&¨,