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