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