.......:£§                                          §£:.......
......:£@@                                          @@£:......
....~~=£§§                                          §§£=~~....
..~:=£§@##                                          ##@§£=:~..
..~:=£§@##                                          ##@§£=:~..
..~:=£§@@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@@§£=:~..
..~:=£§@##         : 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,                   #$:.,¨¨¨,.
¨-«/§%£#@#                                          #@#£%§/«-¨
¨.¨,,†\£££  now the reach of the pool has widened.  £££\†,,¨.¨
.:«\%*&###       now its wolves see further.        ###&*%\«:.
,,¨.,..»†£                                          £†»..,.¨,,
,,.~~\:@#¤                                          ¤#@:\~~.,,
.~~;%=$%§@                                          @§%$=%;~~.
.^=\*£###@                                          @###£*\=^.
.¨,,¨-~=§#                                          #§=~-¨,,¨.