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