#*%=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=%*#
@@***%/=^¨ ¨^=/%***@@
#%=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=%#
@*/^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^/*@
##@#*%/=^¨ ¨^=/%*#@##
##@#*%/=^¨ # ==================== # ¨^=/%*#@##
#%//^¨¨¨¨¨ / 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. ¨,-\*&§@##
#@##$^\~,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,~\^$##@#
@¤£&\»,,.¨ ¨.,,»\&£¤@
@#*~,.,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,.,~*#@
@@=-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-=@@
###&£%/=,¨ ¨,=/%£&###
####£*\=,¨ ¨,=\*£####