#@@#&*^=:. .:=^*&#@@#
#@@#&*^=:. .:=^*&#@@#
@@@#&*^=:. .:=^*&#@@@
##&&^^:::. .:::^^&&##
@@@#&*^=:. .:=^*&#@@@
##@@&*^=:. # ==================== # .:=^*&@@##
##@@#&^=:. ^ 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. ,-\§%£####
##&¤$%\~^, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,^~\%$¤&##
#%*†-~~~~. .~~~~-†*%#
##£#$^^~.¨ ¨.~^^$#£##
@&§§$^†«., ,.«†^$§§&@
@£¶§%==«,¨ ¨,«==%§¶£@
#@¶&¤=:--. .--:=¤&¶@#