¤§==,,,,,, ,,,,,,==§¤
#£¤¤%§;=,, ,,=;§%¤¤£#
#¤%%;,,,,, ,,,,,;%%¤#
##£¤%§;=,, ,,=;§%¤£##
###£¤§;=,, ,,=;§¤£###
£%;=,,,,,, # ==================== # ,,,,,,=;%£
¤§;,,,,,,, ; 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. ¨-«†*&¤@##
@#@@%%;~:¨ ¨:~;%%@@#@
####@£^\-, ,-\^£@####
##@&%*:»^. .^»:*%&@##
¤==~-~..¨. .¨..~-~==¤
§$$/^.¨... ...¨.^/$$§