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