#@£@£*:=^. .^=:*£@£@#
@@*=^..... .....^=*@@
#@£@£*:=^. .^=:*£@£@#
£££*=^.... ....^=*£££
#@£@£*:=^. .^=:*£@£@#
£££*=^.... # ==================== # ....^=*£££
#@£@£*:=^. : 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, .¨,,~:%###
¶%;^:¨,,¨. .¨,,¨:^;%¶
#@$=~,¨¨.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.¨¨,~=$@#
#§¤$;«,,¨, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,¨,,«;$¤§#
¶&=~,¨...¨ ¨...¨,~=&¶
@#@¤£=^-~. .~-^=£¤@#@
##£@%*:«-. .-«:*%@£##
##@@&%$=~. .~=$%&@@##
@£&\*:†~:¨ ¨:~†:*\&£@