##$===,... ...,===$##
#$===,.... ....,===$#
$===,..... .....,===$
===,...... ......,===
==,....... .......,==
=,........ # ==================== # ........,=
,......... = 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. ,¨~-/%&#@#
##@£%§†~:¨ ¨:~†§%£@##
###§*†»-¨. .¨-»†*§###
@#@*=~:.¨¨ ¨¨.:~=*@#@
£*=*«...,. .,...«*=*£
*§=«-¨.,¨. .¨,.¨-«=§*