.^~†*$@£##                                          ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##                                          ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##                                          ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@###                                          ###@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##                                          ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£@$*†~^.
.^~††*$@££         † the wolf pool exists †         ££@$*††~^.
.^~†*$@£##         † in a stale timeline, †         ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##         †  branched way back   †         ##£@$*†~^.
...~††$$££         †  when kirugu vargir  †         ££$$††~...
.^~†*$@£##         †  was almost barren,  †         ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##  and plants were only starting to grow,  ##£@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£££         †        at all...     †         £££@$*†~^.
.^~†*$@£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£@$*†~^.
,.»†*%¤@##                                          ##@¤%*†».,
,,~^*$@###     misplaced explorers traverse the     ###@$*^~,,
¨¨.¨,*=&@#   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.        ##¶£§%^=,,
,:-†^@$£@#                                          #@£$@^†-:,
¨..~«~$£@£                                          £@£$~«~..¨
.-«/$£@@##                                          ##@@£$/«-.
,.»;†£@###                                          ###@£†;».,
¨^~/*§&#@#                                          #@#&§*/~^¨