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