###@&&=«^. .^«=&&@###
##@&&=«^.. ..^«=&&@##
#@&&=«^... ...^«=&&@#
##@&&=«^.. ..^«=&&@##
###@&&=«^. .^«=&&@###
##@&&=«^.. # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..^«=&&@##
#@&&=«^... † 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. ¨.~$£§####
#@#¤%%«,.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..,«%%¤#@#
@#@&^~,,¨¨ ¨¨,,~^&@#@
#@@£&==,.. ..,==&£@@#
####@$%=~¨ ¨~=%$@####
#@#£&%~,¨, ,¨,~%&£#@#
#¶¤&%«..,¨ ¨,..«%&¤¶#