@@@@*^\»:. .:»\^*@@@@
@*\::..... .....::\*@
##@@*^\»:. .:»\^*@@##
@@@*^».... ....»^*@@@
@@@@*^\»:. .:»\^*@@@@
##@@*^\»:. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .:»\^*@@##
@**\»..... \ 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. ¨,»^^$¤£##
##@#£$=^»- -»^=$£#@##
#@&$§===^, ,^===§$&@#
@@$%†~.,.¨ ¨.,.~†%$@@
#@@&£%*»., ,.»*%£&@@#
###£§%%-.. ..-%%§£###