###£%=;=,, ,,=;=%£###
###£%=;=,, ,,=;=%£###
#£%;,,,,,, ,,,,,,;%£#
###£%=;=,, ,,=;=%£###
#%%%=;;=,, ,,=;;=%%%#
££==;,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,;==££
#%;,,,,,,, ; 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@# ,:~/$¤§@@#
§*=^..¨,., #@WHERE#THEY@CAME,@######AND#THEN#@@# ,.,¨..^=*§
&&††--,.,. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE=~ .,.,--††&&
@*;^¨..¨., ~=BEING « STOLEN ~» FROM ~=~ THEM. ¨ ,.¨..¨^;*@
#@#@*%/-., »» . ~«» . », :~ ~ ,.-/%*@#@#
@#£@%†/«^, , :: , . ,^«/†%@£#@
##£@£*=-,¨ , , . § ¨,-=*£@£##
##@§%*=~-¨ ¨-~=*%§@##
##@£@§†/-¨ .#. ¨-/†§@£@##
#¤&£\~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~\£&¤#
§£%»-,¨.,, AND, ,,.¨,-»%£§
#@#@¤^;«-, ,-«;^¤@#@#
###££**~,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,~**££###
#@#&**\«-. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .-«\**&#@#
#@#§&%/»^¨ ¨^»/%&§#@#
@$\,¨¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨¨,\$@
@££@£%^~^¨ ¨^~^%£@££@
#&#&$$\~,. .,~\$$&#&#
@#¤:^..¨¨. .¨¨..^:¤#@