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