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