#@$$;,,,,, ,,,,,;$$@#
#@$*;,,,,, ,,,,,;*$@#
###@$*;»,, ,,»;*$@###
###@$*;»,, ,,»;*$@###
#@@$*»,,,, ,,,,»*$@@#
#$$$$*;»,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,»;*$$$$#
#@$*;»»,,, ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ,,,»»;*$@#
###@$*;»,, ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ,,»;*$@###
#@@$;»,,,, ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; ,,,,»;$@@#
@$$;;;,,,, ; 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. ,¨,..«^£@@
#@@@¤**»-, ,-»**¤@@@#
####§†:=., ,.=:†§####
#*%:~¨...¨ ¨...¨~:%*#
#@#£&%†«~¨ ¨~«†%&£#@#
¶&§%;~.¨,¨ ¨,¨.~;%§&¶