~~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~~
=~~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~~=
==~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~==
$==~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~==$
#$==~~,,,, ,,,,~~==$#
@#$==~~,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,~~==$#@
#@#$==~~,, = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = ,,~~==$#@#
##@#$==~~, = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = ,~~==$#@##
#@#$==~~,, = BRANCHED WAY BACK = ,,~~==$#@#
@#$==~~,,, = WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR = ,,,~~==$#@
#$==~~,,,, = WAS ALMOST BARREN, = ,,,,~~==$#
$==~~,,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,,,~~==$
==~~,,,,,, 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. .,,¨.=:*£&
@§$%/»:,,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,,:»/%$§@
#£#$%;~.,, ,,.~;%$#£#
##@££%*=,. .,=*%££@##
#@@$%\~:., ,.:~\%$@@#
@¤%%:--¨., ,.¨--:%%¤@
#§†:~^,¨¨. .¨¨,^~:†§#