@##§§~.... ....~§§##@
##@@#¤^~.. ..~^¤#@@##
#§~....... .......~§#
#@@#¤§^~.. ..~^§¤#@@#
@##§^..... .....^§##@
#¤§^...... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ......^§¤#
#@@#¤§^~.. ^ 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. ¨,=\$£§¶@#
###&§§:~~¨ ¨~~:§§&###
¶@$~¨,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,¨~$@¶
###££%;=-. .-=;%££###
@@*:^\:.., ,..:\^:*@@
#§*§†^^«,¨ ¨,«^^†§*§#