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