@¶&$%\~,¨¨ ¨¨,~\%$&¶@
#@¶&$%\~,¨ ¨,~\%$&¶@#
@¶&$%\~,¨¨ ¨¨,~\%$&¶@
¶&$%\~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~\%$&¶
&$%\~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~\%$&
$%\~,¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨,~\%$
&$%\~,¨¨¨¨ \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ¨¨¨¨,~\%$&
¶&$%\~,¨¨¨ \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ¨¨¨,~\%$&¶
@¶&$%\~,¨¨ \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ¨¨,~\%$&¶@
#@¶&$%\~,¨ \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ¨,~\%$&¶@#
@¶&$%\~,¨¨ \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ¨¨,~\%$&¶@
¶&$%\~,¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨,~\%$&¶
&$%\~,¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨,~\%$&
$%\~,¨¨¨¨¨ \ AT ALL... \ ¨¨¨¨¨,~\%$
&$%\~,¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨,~\%$&
@¤$*=-^¨,¨ ¨,¨^-=*$¤@
#¶&¤^\=.., 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. .¨¨,.,«*§§
@$*=»,,.,¨ ¨,.,,»=*$@
@¤%%†»,..¨ ¨..,»†%%¤@
@@#¤§:«... ...«:§¤#@@
##£§%=^~,¨ ¨,~^=%§£##
##&$===.¨. .¨.===$&##