##@§£==~.. ..~==£§@##
#@§£==~... ...~==£§@#
##@§£==~.. ..~==£§@##
###@§£==~. .~==£§@###
##@§£==~.. ..~==£§@##
#@§£==~... # ==================== # ...~==£§@#
##@§£==~.. / 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. ¨.:~%§§£##
##@£$=^¨,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,¨^=$£@##
##¶£*=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=*£¶##
##@@&¤%»,. .,»%¤&@@##
###&$=«,,. .,,«=$&###
##££†»^..¨ ¨..^»†££##
###§$*~~.¨ ¨.~~*$§###