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