¤@§--..... .....--§@¤
#¤§:-..... .....-:§¤#
#@@¤@§:-:. .:-:§@¤@@#
###@@§:-:. .:-:§@@###
##@¤@§:-:. .:-:§@¤@##
¤§---..... # -------------------- # .....---§¤
##@¤@§:-:. : 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. ¨¨..,.~^=§
##¶@§^:=,. .,=:^§@¶##
#@§\,¨..,. .,..¨,\§@#
##@§£%/«:. .:«/%£§@##
@£¶¤$$=~^. .^~=$$¤¶£@
£@¶¤£*†«~. .~«†*£¤¶@£