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