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