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