@$=~...... ......~=$@
###@$===~. .~===$@###
##@@$===~. .~===$@@##
##@@$===~. .~===$@@##
@@$==..... .....==$@@
##@@$===~. # ==================== # .~===$@@##
@$======~. = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = .~======$@
@====..... = 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. ..»/*^*$&#
££¶§&§;=:, ,:=;§&§¶££
@%**=~,,.¨ ¨.,,~=**%@
#@£#%$*«., ,.«*$%#£@#
@%&¤=^;=^, ,^=;^=¤&%@
@#%===,.¨¨ ¨¨.,===%#@