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