###&¤==,.. ..,==¤&###
####&¤==,. .,==¤&####
###&¤==,.. ..,==¤&###
##&¤==,... ...,==¤&##
#&¤==,.... ....,==¤&#
&¤==,..... # ==================== # .....,==¤&
¤==,...... = 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. ,.¨¨¨,.,¨,
¨.¨,,¨,¨,¨ ¨,¨,¨,,¨.¨
¨¨.,,..... .....,,.¨¨
,.,¨..,,., ,.,,..¨,.,
-.¨...,.,. .,.,...¨.-
«,.,,..¨,¨ ¨,¨..,,.,«