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