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