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