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