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