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