#@#&$*^~,¨ ¨,~^*$&#@#
&$^,,,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,,,^$&
#@#&$*^~,¨ ¨,~^*$&#@#
&$^^,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,^^$&
@@#&$*^~,¨ ¨,~^*$&#@@
##&$^^^~,¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨,~^^^$&##
#@#&$*^~,¨ ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ ¨,~^*$&#@#
@@#&$*^~,¨ ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ ¨,~^*$&#@@
&&&*~~,¨¨¨ ^ 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. ,-~\%&####
###@%$*=,. .,=*$%@###
##@§£%^~,, ,,~^%£§@##
£§£\:-,.,. .,.,-:\£§£
##££**†»,, ,,»†**££##
#@@#$=\~,. .,~\=$#@@#