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