##***:~~~, ,~~~:***##
##@#@*:~~, ,~~:*@#@##
#@#@*~~~,, ,,~~~*@#@#
#****~,,,, ,,,,~****#
##@#@*:~~, ,~~:*@#@##
##@#@*:~~, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,~~:*@#@##
@@@:~,,,,, : 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. ¨¨..,,~=##
##%†-~^,,¨ ¨,,^~-†%##
#@££§%:=^, ,^=:%§££@#
@@§;«.¨,¨. .¨,¨.«;§@@
#==-¨¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨¨-==#
##@&¤*:~^, ,^~:*¤&@##