@¤¤$***»~. .~»***$¤¤@
@@¤$**»»~. .~»»**$¤@@
#@$**»~~.. ..~~»**$@#
¤*»~...... ......~»*¤
¤***~..... .....~***¤
¤¤¤****»~. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .~»****¤¤¤
@$*~~..... * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * .....~~*$@
##@¤$**»~. * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * .~»**$¤@##
@@$*»~~... * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ...~~»*$@@
##@¤$**»~. * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * .~»**$¤@##
#¤****~~.. * 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. ,.¨»««;$@@
##¶££§†«~. .~«†§££¶##
&£§^».^¨.¨ ¨.¨^.»^§£&
#@@§==\~.. ..~\==§@@#
#@£¤§%/=~, ,~=/%§¤£@#
##@=/=~,., ,.,~=/=@##