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