####%$=»-. .-»=$%####
###£%$=»-. .-»=$%£###
£$$»-..... .....-»$$£
£%=-...... ......-=%£
##%==-.... ....-==%##
###£%$=»-. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .-»=$%£###
###£%$=»-. = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = .-»=$%£###
#£££%$=»-. = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = .-»=$%£££#
#%%$=-.... = BRANCHED WAY BACK = ....-=$%%#
##£%=-.... = 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. ,.¨.-$¤&%¤
¶¤%£*~»«-. .-«»~*£%¤¶
###@$$^«^, ,^«^$$@###
#§@*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*@§#
##££&=\=.¨ ¨.=\=&££##
¤£%;=.,,,, ,,,,.=;%£¤