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