@@@¤@$:».. ..»:$@¤@@@
#@@:»»»... ...»»»:@@#
#@@$»..... .....»$@@#
##@¤@$:».. ..»:$@¤@##
##@¤@$:».. ..»:$@¤@##
###@@$:».. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..»:$@@###
##@¤@$:».. : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS : ..»:$@¤@##
@@@¤@$:».. : IN A STALE TIMELINE, : ..»:$@¤@@@
##@¤@$:».. : BRANCHED WAY BACK : ..»:$@¤@##
##@¤@$:».. : WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR : ..»:$@¤@##
@¤$»...... : WAS ALMOST BARREN, : ......»$¤@
#@¤@::»... 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. .¨.~,\%&¤#
¶¶§*-,.,¨. .¨,.,-*§¶¶
##@¤§%/=^, ,^=/%§¤@##
##¶&&^\=~. .~=\^&&¶##
####$†:»^¨ ¨^»:†$####
###@%**»:. .:»**%@###