........,«                                          «,........
.......,«^                                          ^«,.......
......,«^%                                          %^«,......
.....,«^%$                                          $%^«,.....
....,«^%$£                                          £$%^«,....
...,«^%$£¶         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¶£$%^«,...
..,«^%$£¶#         ^ 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.       ^..,.¨.,..
.,¨¨.,,,..                                          ..,,,.¨¨,.
.,.¨¨¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨¨¨.,.
.¨,.¨..,:»                                          »:,..¨.,¨.
¨¨.,,,.~~\                                          \~~.,,,.¨¨
.¨,.,,,»=§                                          §=»,,,.,¨.