#¶@$^†:... ...:†^$@¶#
¶@$^†:.... ....:†^$@¶
@$^†:..... .....:†^$@
$^†:...... ......:†^$
^†:....... .......:†^
†:........ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ........:†
:......... † 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. .,,..,.,-:
:.¨,,¨¨,.. ..,¨¨,,¨.:
/-..,¨¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨¨,..-/
%:-,.¨,,,, ,,,,¨.,-:%
£**.,¨.... ....¨,.**£
&&*=~.¨.,. .,.¨.~=*&&