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