###¤%^;~-, ,-~;^%¤###
####¤%;~-, ,-~;%¤####
###¤%^;~-, ,-~;^%¤###
###¤%^;~-, ,-~;^%¤###
###¤%^;~-, ,-~;^%¤###
###¤%^;~-, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,-~;^%¤###
###¤%^;~-, ; 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. ,¨..^/\¤§#
@#@¤&*=-~, ,~-=*&¤@#@
#@#££=*=~. .~=*=££#@#
##£#§%^»-, ,-»^%§#£##
##@££§;-,, ,,-;§££@##
###§$%*«.. ..«*%$§###