###@£$*^,,                                          ,,^*$£@###
#@@£$*^=,,                                          ,,=^*$£@@#
@£$$*=,,,,                                          ,,,,=*$$£@
£$$$*^=,,,                                          ,,,=^*$$$£
###£$*^=,,                                          ,,=^*$£###
@$$*^=,,,,         # ==================== #         ,,,,=^*$$@
###£$*^=,,         ^ the wolf pool exists ^         ,,=^*$£###
£**^^^^=,,         ^ 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.        ,-«:\^%*§#
#††:,.¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨.,:††#
@#@¤§%/»^,                                          ,^»/%§¤@#@
£&$%-»,¨.,                                          ,.¨,»-%$&£
##@£$%*-,¨                                          ¨,-*%$£@##
##@@*§:=^¨                                          ¨^=:§*@@##