@&£=*-.... ....-*=£&@
#@&£=*-... ...-*=£&@#
##@&£=*-.. ..-*=£&@##
###@&£=*-. .-*=£&@###
##@&£=*-.. ..-*=£&@##
#@&£=*-... # -------------------- # ...-*=£&@#
@&£=*-.... * 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$KNOWLEDGE;« ,,»:*&&¶##
@#&*%=~.¨. ~~BEING - STOLEN -~ FROM -~- THEM. ¨ .¨.~=%*&#@
£@%*^~^¨.. «» , »~= , »¨ ~= = ..¨^~^*%@£
££*\»^¨¨¨, : ., , . ,¨¨¨^»\*££
£†:»~.,.¨. , . ¨ % .¨.,.~»:†£
==~,¨,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,¨,~==
*~:,.,..,, ¨#. ,,..,.,:~*
~,.¨,.¨..¨ ¨..¨.,¨.,~
^.,¨.¨¨¨.. AND, ..¨¨¨.¨,.^
=,.,.,,,¨. .¨,,,.,.,=
^=~...,¨,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,¨,...~=^
=*»~.¨.,¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨,.¨.~»*=
%%\-,¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨,-\%%
#%%†=~,,., ,.,,~=†%%#
#¤$=*-,¨., ,.¨,-*=$¤#
@##$*†~-¨. .¨-~†*$##@
###&$=\~^, ,^~\=$&###