@¤^==,.... ....,==^¤@
@@¤^==,... ...,==^¤@@
#@@¤^==,.. ..,==^¤@@#
##@@¤^==,. .,==^¤@@##
#@@¤^==,.. ..,==^¤@@#
@@¤^==,... # ==================== # ...,==^¤@@
@¤^==,.... = 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. ,¨...¨.-~†
%\»:¨.¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨.¨:»\%
#†^»~...,. .,...~»^†#
#@%/~,...¨ ¨...,~/%@#
#¶¤$;-,,¨. .¨,,-;$¤¶#
##@§§==.¨. .¨.==§§@##