&%^^»,,,,, ,,,,,»^^%&
#&%^^»,,,, ,,,,»^^%&#
##&%^^»,,, ,,,»^^%&##
###&%^^»,, ,,»^^%&###
##&%^^»,,, ,,,»^^%&##
#&%^^»,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,»^^%&#
&%^^»,,,,, ^ 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, ¨,¨¨~«^$@§
&*:~~,¨¨.. ..¨¨,~~:*&
%†~,,,¨.,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,.¨,,,~†%
%=^~:..,., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.,..:~^=%
#$†*«-¨.,. .,.¨-«*†$#
@§£$\~,¨,, ,,¨,~\$£§@
#¶#%§;=~,, ,,~=;§%#¶#
###&%§^«-¨ ¨-«^§%&###
#¶&$=^«-¨. .¨-«^=$&¶#