##£#£*†~~¨                                          ¨~~†*£#£##
#£#£*†~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~†*£#£#
£#£*†~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~†*£#£
#£*†~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~†*£#
£*†~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~†*£
*†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†*
†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         † 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.  .¨¨..-«/$*
¤@**~~,...       now its wolves see further.        ...,~~**@¤
@@*%\=..¨¨                                          ¨¨..=\%*@@
###§§/~:.,                                          ,.:~/§§###
##¶#%$^~,¨                                          ¨,~^$%#¶##
##@$^/=,.,                                          ,.,=/^$@##
¶¤§*\=~.¨.                                          .¨.~=\*§¤¶