##@#£*^-^, ,^-^*£#@##
#@#£*^-^,, ,,^-^*£#@#
@#£*^-^,,, ,,,^-^*£#@
#£*^-^,,,, ,,,,^-^*£#
£*^-^,,,,, ,,,,,^-^*£
#£*^-^,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,^-^*£#
@#£*^-^,,, ^ 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. ¨..¨,~^%#@
#@£^†»-..¨ ¨..-»†^£@#
##@¤=;~.,¨ ¨,.~;=¤@##
###@#**»,. .,»**#@###
##@§*^~.,¨ ¨,.~^*§@##
@#£$/=,..¨ ¨..,=/$£#@