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