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