##@£§^^-.. ..-^^§£@##
@££^^..... .....^^££@
###@§^^-.. ..-^^§@###
@£§^-..... .....-^§£@
##@£§^^-.. ..-^^§£@##
##@£§^^-.. # -------------------- # ..-^^§£@##
##@£§^^-.. ^ 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, .,¨,,=$@&#
#¤£§:†~^¨. .¨^~†:§£¤#
###@#^\«~, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,~«\^#@###
#@%\~~,¨., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.¨,~~\%@#
@##¤¤§\«-, ,-«\§¤¤##@
#@##%%/»~, ,~»/%%##@#
##@§*†*-^, ,^-*†*§@##
@@@@%*^~-¨ ¨-~^*%@@@@
###¶*$;~,¨ ¨,~;$*¶###