¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«                                          «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:                                          :«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:^                                          ^:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:^%         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         %^:«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:^%£         : 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.        ,,¨,.¨.,¨.
¨¨¨,¨,¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨,¨,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨...,                                          ,...¨¨¨¨¨¨
,,¨,,.¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨.,,¨,,
..¨¨¨.,.¨,                                          ,¨.,.¨¨¨..
.¨.,,¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨,,.¨.