#£&&$;-... ...-;$&&£#
£&&$;-.... ....-;$&&£
&&$;-..... .....-;$&&
&$;-...... ......-;$&
&&$;-..... .....-;$&&
£&&$;-.... # -------------------- # ....-;$&&£
#£&&$;-... ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ...-;$&&£#
##£&&$;-.. ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ..-;$&&£##
###£&&$;-. ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; .-;$&&£###
##£&&$;-.. ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; ..-;$&&£##
#£&&$;-... ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ...-;$&&£#
£&&$;-.... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ....-;$&&£
&&$;-..... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, .....-;$&&
&$;-...... ; AT ALL... ; ......-;$&
&&$;-..... # -------------------- # .....-;$&&
##§*;«¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨«;*§##
#¶#@=^»¨,¨ 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. ,¨=/§$@@##
##§$†/»,,¨ ¨,,»/†$§##
@§@§/~.¨¨. .¨¨.~/§@§@
#£=*».,.¨. .¨.,.»*=£#
&†*~,.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.,~*†&
£@*:«,.¨¨. .¨¨.,«:*@£