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