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