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