@@#§&==~.. ..~==&§#@@
#@#§&==~.. ..~==&§#@#
@##§&==~.. ..~==&§##@
#§§§&==~.. ..~==&§§§#
§§§&=~~... ...~~=&§§§
§=~~...... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ......~~=§
#§&==~~~.. = 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, .^-*$@££@£
#¤£@&§*=:¨ ¨:=*§&@£¤#
#@@£@%^~~. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .~~^%@£@@#
@§^:~:.,,, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,,,.:~:^§@
##@£$†;~-. .-~;†$£@##
@£@^»~-,,, ,,,-~»^@£@
##£@£*=~,, ,,~=*£@£##
#@@§£%/«., ,.«/%£§@@#
@#§†:/--,, ,,--/:†§#@