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