#***,..... .....,***#
#&*,...... ......,*&#
#####&**,. .,**&#####
##&**»,... ...,»**&##
#####&**,. .,**&#####
#####&*»,. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .,»*&#####
#*»,...... * 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. .,~;¤#@###
#@£§@*†»:¨ ¨:»†*@§£@#
###££§*«.. ..«*§££###
###£@£;~,, ,,~;£@£###
@#*§@%†~~. .~~†%@§*#@
@¶§%*=.¨¨, ,¨¨.=*%§¶@