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