##@¤@*†~,. .,~†*@¤@##
@@@††~,... ...,~††@@@
¤*††~,,... ...,,~††*¤
###¤@*†~,. .,~†*@¤###
###¤@*†~,. .,~†*@¤###
##@¤@*†~,. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .,~†*@¤@##
##@¤@*†~,. † 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;« ,,=**&£¶##
&$%~^¨,,., -~BEING ~ STOLEN =- FROM =»~ THEM. . ,.,,¨^~%$&
####&†^~,. ~= . ~~» ¨ ~, -« ~ .,~^†&####
###¤%**=,. . ^, - ¨ .,=**%¤###
@@#££§=--, . , . = ,--=§££#@@
##¶@&§^»,. .,»^§&@¶##
#@@&¤*^»^¨ ¨#¨ ¨^»^*¤&@@#
#¶$£†-,¨,¨ ¨,¨,-†£$¶#
@¶£$&%†~-, AND, ,-~†%&$£¶@
##@@£%:-,¨ ¨,-:%£@@##
#@#&$§/~^. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .^~/§$&#@#
@§$;,..,.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.,..,;$§@
£§£%*;:-,¨ ¨,-:;*%£§£
#@@&**†«~¨ ¨~«†**&@@#
####£**«:. .:«**£####
¶@£%*=--,¨ ¨,--=*%£@¶
##¶@@=/«-. .-«/=@@¶##