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