@¶#¤%*«^.. ..^«*%¤#¶@
#@¶#¤%*«^. .^«*%¤#¶@#
@¶#¤%*«^.. ..^«*%¤#¶@
¶#¤%*«^... ...^«*%¤#¶
#¤%*«^.... ....^«*%¤#
¤%*«^..... # «««««««««««««««««««« # .....^«*%¤
#¤%*«^.... * 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, ,,.-^$%@@#
@§§^*«^¨.¨ ¨.¨^«*^§§@
#@=\~,¨¨., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,.¨¨,~\=@#
&%†~-.¨¨,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,¨¨.-~†%&
&$*\-..,,. .,,..-\*$&
¶¤%=/-..¨¨ ¨¨..-/=%¤¶
#£§$%\~-¨. .¨-~\%$§£#
#@#§&†\-,, ,,-\†&§#@#
#¶§%%^«,.. ..,«^%%§¶#