##@¤$**-^, ,^-**$¤@##
##@¤$**-^, ,^-**$¤@##
##@¤$**-^, ,^-**$¤@##
@$***-,,,, ,,,,-***$@
@$$***--^, ,^--***$$@
#@$$*-,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,-*$$@#
##@¤$**-^, * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ,^-**$¤@##
@$*-^^,,,, * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ,,,,^^-*$@
###@¤$**^, * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ,^**$¤@###
@¤$$*^,,,, * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ,,,,^*$$¤@
@¤¤$***-^, * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ,^-***$¤¤@
¤¤***-^^,, 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. ¨.,..,-:*#
@£%».,,,.. ..,,,.»%£@
#@@@$^*«-¨ ¨-«*^$@@@#
##££*=†»:, ,:»†=*££##
#§@§$%*--. .--*%$§@§#
###§@††»-, ,-»††@§###