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