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