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