¤£%^=..... .....=^%£¤
£%^=...... ......=^%£
¤£%^=..... .....=^%£¤
@¤£%^=.... ....=^%£¤@
#@¤£%^=... ...=^%£¤@#
##@¤£%^=.. # ==================== # ..=^%£¤@##
#@¤£%^=... ^ 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. .~»†=%#@##
###&†*»~,. .,~»*†&###
#@¤%/~,,¨¨ ¨¨,,~/%¤@#
¤%§*«-..,, ,,..-«*§%¤
£$†»:.,¨,, ,,¨,.:»†$£
@%§;~,.¨.¨ ¨.¨.,~;§%@