#@@¤*^†-., ,.-†^*¤@@#
@**^-.,,,, ,,,,.-^**@
@@*^†††-., ,.-†††^*@@
#@@¤*^†-., ,.-†^*¤@@#
@¤¤¤*^†-., ,.-†^*¤¤¤@
@¤^††-,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,-††^¤@
@¤*†-,,,,, † 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. ,,...~~$##
###§**^~,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,~^**§###
##@#%=†~^, ,^~†=%#@##
¤^=..,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,..=^¤
@^=:..,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,..:=^@
####$%/»,. .,»/%$####
##@@*%^»,. .,»^%*@@##