&&&&¤^\=.. ..=\^¤&&&&
&^\=...... ......=\^&
##@&¤^\=.. ..=\^¤&@##
#@@&¤^\=.. ..=\^¤&@@#
@&&&¤^\=.. ..=\^¤&&&@
##@@¤^\=.. # ==================== # ..=\^¤@@##
@@@&¤^\=.. \ 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@# ...,,/$@@@
#@¶&£*==,, #£WHERE@THEY@CAME,#######AND#THEN@##@ ,,==*£&¶@#
#@#&@§†=:¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE\~ ¨:=†§@&#@#
&%==^,.¨¨. ~«BEING » STOLEN »« FROM «~~ THEM. . .¨¨.,^==%&
&^^,,,¨¨,. »» , »«~ ¨ ~, ,= ~ .,¨¨,,,^^&
#@@£$††--, , ,, , . ,--††$£@@#
##£&&*;»^, . . ¨ § ,^»;*&&£##
£&%%†=»:,. .,:»=†%%&£
#@^».¨,,., ¨#¨ ,.,,¨.»^@#
@###%%:»:¨ ¨:»:%%###@
@@@£%-=..¨ AND, ¨..=-%£@@@
£¶#§;=/»,. .,»/=;§#¶£
#@#@£**«,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,«**£@#@#
##@#§*;«^. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .^«;*§#@##
##@#$*†»^. .^»†*$#@##
#@@&£^†»~¨ ¨~»†^£&@@#
¤**-~:¨,,¨ ¨,,¨:~-**¤
£*¤*†\:=-¨ ¨-=:\†*¤*£
###&@==~:¨ ¨:~==@&###