##@¤&%\~.. ..~\%&¤@##
#¤¤%~~.... ....~~%¤¤#
#@¤%\~.... ....~\%¤@#
#¤&%~..... .....~%&¤#
##@¤&%\~.. ..~\%&¤@##
##@¤&%\~.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..~\%&¤@##
@¤%~...... \ 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. ¨--†*¤####
#¤*†~...¨, ,¨...~†*¤#
@¤;=,¨,¨.. ..¨,¨,=;¤@
##£$«,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,«$£##
&§%$:^,,,. .,,,^:$%§&
#£@££$=«:, ,:«=$££@£#