#&£%\~~... ...~~\%£&#
##&£%\~~.. ..~~\%£&##
###&£%\~~. .~~\%£&###
##&£%\~~.. ..~~\%£&##
#&£%\~~... ...~~\%£&#
&£%\~~.... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ....~~\%£&
£%\~~..... \ 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. ..,^~\=¤£@
#$%=~:,.., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,..,:~=%$#
%%^~^..... .....^~^%%
**~:¨.,,.. ..,,.¨:~**
:-.¨,,,¨., ,.¨,,,¨.-:
«-..,¨..., ,...¨,..-«
^,..,¨,... ...,¨,..,^