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