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