##@@¤†;-^, ,^-;†¤@@##
#@@¤†;-^,, ,,^-;†¤@@#
@@¤†;-^,,, ,,,^-;†¤@@
@¤†;-^,,,, ,,,,^-;†¤@
¤†;-^,,,,, ,,,,,^-;†¤
†;-^,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,^-;†
;-^,,,,,,, ; 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. .,,.,,~=\$
:~,¨.,¨,.. ..,¨,.¨,~:
=:.,¨¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨¨,.:=
-..¨.¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨.¨..-
~,.¨,,,,¨. .¨,,,,¨.,~
^~:,.¨.¨.¨ ¨.¨.¨.,:~^