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