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