¤§§§§§=~,,                                          ,,~=§§§§§¤
@$§=,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,=§$@
###¤$§=~,,                                          ,,~=§$¤###
##@¤$§=~,,                                          ,,~=§$¤@##
@$$§§~,,,,                                          ,,,,~§§$$@
¤¤¤$===~,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,~===$¤¤¤
##@¤$§=~,,         = the wolf pool exists =         ,,~=§$¤@##
##@¤$§=~,,         = in a stale timeline, =         ,,~=§$¤@##
¤§~,,,,,,,         =  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.  ,^~:^$@###
##@¤%*†-,¨       now its wolves see further.        ¨,-†*%¤@##
####*$\«,¨                                          ¨,«\$*####
§¤%*$%\~.,                                          ,.~\%$*%¤§
@#¤¤£^:~:,                                          ,:~:^£¤¤#@
####¤§*-,.                                          .,-*§¤####
###@&†*=,¨                                          ¨,=*†&@###