¶¤@=^--... ...--^=@¤¶
¤@=^--.... ....--^=@¤
¶¤@=^--... ...--^=@¤¶
#¶¤@=^--.. ..--^=@¤¶#
##¶¤@=^--. .--^=@¤¶##
#¶¤@=^--.. # -------------------- # ..--^=@¤¶#
¶¤@=^--... ^ 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. .,.==%£¤¶#
#@¶¤£**«,¨ ¨,«**£¤¶@#
#¶&$†\»,,. .,,»\†$&¶#
##£*:~~.,. .,.~~:*£##
@**†»-,.¨¨ ¨¨.,-»†**@
£#&*;=,,., ,.,,=;*&#£