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