##@#$*-:¨¨ ¨¨:-*$#@##
#@#$*-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-*$#@#
@#$*-:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:-*$#@
#$*-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-*$#
$*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*$
*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*
$*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*$
#$*-:¨¨¨¨¨ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ¨¨¨¨¨:-*$#
@#$*-:¨¨¨¨ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ¨¨¨¨:-*$#@
#@#$*-:¨¨¨ * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ¨¨¨:-*$#@#
##@#$*-:¨¨ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ¨¨:-*$#@##
###@#$*-:¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨:-*$#@###
##@#$*-:¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨:-*$#@##
#@#$*-:¨¨¨ * AT ALL... * ¨¨¨:-*$#@#
@#$*-:¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨:-*$#@
£§;~~.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.~~;§£
%†«-...¨,. 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. ..¨~~:%£@#
##@§*^~..¨ ¨..~^*§@##
##@¶£^†-~, ,~-†^£¶@##
#@@&^:«,¨, ,¨,«:^&@@#
@£@†;»^¨,. .,¨^»;†@£@
@&^^~:,.¨¨ ¨¨.,:~^^&@