@@%*»»»,,, ,,,»»»*%@@
@@%//:,,,, ,,,,://%@@
@@@*/:,,,, ,,,,:/*@@@
##@@%*/»:, ,:»/*%@@##
#@@@%*/»:, ,:»/*%@@@#
@@@%%*/»:, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,:»/*%%@@@
@@%/:,,,,, / 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:« .,,¨¨-/$#@
#¶¤\==~:.. «=BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM ~»« THEM. . ..:~==\¤¶#
#@#@&§/~:, ~= . =~« , ~, -~ » ,:~/§&@#@#
#@¶@@^\=.. , ~- ~ . ..=\^@@¶@#
@@£@¤*^~,, . , ¨ % ,,~^*¤@£@@
#@@&$*†~.¨ ¨.~†*$&@@#
£&==††---¨ .#, ¨---††==&£
#@#§$%==~, ,~==%$§#@#
£§£%%=\»,¨ AND, ¨,»\=%%£§£
###§@$^»:¨ ¨:»^$@§###
##£¤%%:»^¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨^»:%%¤£##
##¶&£*:-.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..-:*£&¶##
#@£&£**~,. .,~**£&£@#
##@@$†:=,¨ ¨,=:†$@@##
##£&%$:-:, ,:-:$%&£##
###¶¤¤;»,, ,,»;¤¤¶###
#¤#§§%^=~. .~=^%§§#¤#