.......~;%                                          %;~.......
........~;                                          ;~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..........
..........         ; 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.        #@¤§:»~¨.¨
¨,,,:~^*£&                                          &£*^~:,,,¨
,.¨,¨:-^%%                                          %%^-:¨,¨.,
,¨,.,,.~/*                                          */~.,,.,¨,
.,¨,¨¨,:=/                                          /=:,¨¨,¨,.
¨.,¨,¨,..~                                          ~..,¨,¨,.¨