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