##@£§§:=.. ..=:§§£@##
##@£§§:=.. ..=:§§£@##
#@§:==.... ....==:§@#
£§§:...... ......:§§£
##@£§§:=.. ..=:§§£@##
@@£§§§:=.. # ==================== # ..=:§§§£@@
##@£§§:=.. : 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. ¨,-;§&£@##
¶¤§†~,.¨¨. .¨¨.,~†§¤¶
¤%=-¨,,.¨, ,¨.,,¨-=%¤
###¶@&^-,, ,,-^&@¶###
#@£@£*:»-. .-»:*£@£@#
##¶£§§/~.. ..~/§§£¶##