##@@@§:-:¨ ¨:-:§@@@##
#@@@§:-:¨¨ ¨¨:-:§@@@#
@@@§:-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-:§@@@
@@§:-:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:-:§@@
@§:-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-:§@
§:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:§
:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : 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. .¨,¨,~:§¤@
#£#£^«^.,, ,,.^«^£#£#
#@¶¤%*-~,, ,,~-*%¤¶@#
##@¶@%;~,¨ ¨,~;%@¶@##
###§%^~,,. .,,~^%§###
##£*/=~¨,. .,¨~=/*£##