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