##@^;-,... ...,-;^@##
###@^;-,.. ..,-;^@###
####@^;-,. .,-;^@####
###@^;-,.. ..,-;^@###
##@^;-,... ...,-;^@##
#@^;-,.... # -------------------- # ....,-;^@#
@^;-,..... ; 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. ..,.,-:%%&
%*†~-,¨.,, ,,.¨,-~†*%
$^~:,.,¨.. ..¨,.,:~^$
:~:,¨¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨¨,:~:
~.,,..,¨,, ,,¨,..,,.~
~.¨..¨¨.., ,..¨¨..¨.~