###@¤*\«~. .~«\*¤@###
##@¤*\«~.. ..~«\*¤@##
#@¤*\«~... ...~«\*¤@#
##@¤*\«~.. ..~«\*¤@##
###@¤*\«~. .~«\*¤@###
##@¤*\«~.. # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..~«\*¤@##
#@¤*\«~... \ 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. ¨.^-:^@£#@
@££*=»,¨., ,.¨,»=*££@
#@££**-,¨¨ ¨¨,-**££@#
###£%%*»~. .~»*%%£###
@£¤&†\-~., ,.~-\†&¤£@
@&@^\»,..¨ ¨..,»\^@&@