##¶@@^\~.. ..~\^@@¶##
@@^~...... ......~^@@
#@@^~..... .....~^@@#
#¶¶@@^\~.. ..~\^@@¶¶#
##¶@@^\~.. ..~\^@@¶##
##¶@@^\~.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..~\^@@¶##
##¶@@^\~.. \ 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. .,~:^%¤£@#
##@¤£*:»^, ,^»:*£¤@##
##¶#¤§:=-, ,-=:§¤#¶##
#¤%%=/^¨,¨ ¨,¨^/=%%¤#
###£%*:--¨ ¨--:*%£###
£§†^¨¨,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,¨¨^†§£