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