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