##@@%%†~:. .:~†%%@@##
#@@%%†~:.. ..:~†%%@@#
@@%%†~:... ...:~†%%@@
@%%†~:.... ....:~†%%@
%%†~:..... .....:~†%%
%†~:...... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ......:~†%
†~:....... † 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. ¨.,...,,¨,
-...,...,, ,,...,...-
«..¨¨¨,¨.. ..¨,¨¨¨..«
\~-¨....¨, ,¨....¨-~\
%/«:,¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨,:«/%
¤†^=,,,.¨, ,¨.,,,=^†¤