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