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