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