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