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