#@@$;«.... ....«;$@@#
##@@$;«... ...«;$@@##
###@@$;«.. ..«;$@@###
##@@$;«... ...«;$@@##
#@@$;«.... ....«;$@@#
@@$;«..... # «««««««««««««««««««« # .....«;$@@
@$;«...... ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ......«;$@
$;«....... ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; .......«;$
;«........ ; 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. ,¨.,..,=\*
¤==~.¨¨¨,. .,¨¨¨.~==¤
#¤%=»..¨,¨ ¨,¨..»=%¤#
##§%\-..¨, ,¨..-\%§##
##¶&†;=..¨ ¨..=;†&¶##
##@@&=†=.. ..=†=&@@##